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Objective: To determine the effects of health warning characteristics in smokeless tobacco magazine print ads on warning recall, and the implications for current US Federal regulations. Design: Subjects examined two distracter ads and one of nine randomly assigned smokeless tobacco ads varying in health warning presence, size (8 to 18 point font), and contrast (low versus high)-including no health warning. They were then interviewed about ad content using recall and recognition questions. Subjects: A convenience sample of 895 English speaking males aged 16-24 years old who were intercepted at seven shopping malls throughout Massachusetts during May 2000. Main outcome measures: Proven aided recall, or recall of a health warning and correct recognition of the warning message among distracters, and false recall. Results: Controlling for covariates such as education, employment/student status, and Hispanic back- ground, proven aided recall increased significantly with font size; doubling size from 10 to 20 point font would increase recall from 63% to 76%. Although not statistically significant, recall was somewhat better for high contrast warnings. Ten per cent of the sample mistakenly recalled the warning where none existed. Conclusions: As demonstrated by substantially greater recall among ads that included health warnings over ads that had none, health warnings retained their value to consumers despite years of exposure (that can produce false recall). Larger health warnings would enhance recall, and the proposed model can be used to estimate potential recall that affects communication, perceived health risk, and behaviour modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective; To assess the effect of a comprehensive tobacco control programme initiated in Massachusetts in 1993, and to compare the 1990 to 1999 trend in smoking prevalence to that in 41 states without tobacco control programmes, controlling for demographic shifts over time. Design: Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for the years 1990 to 1999 were used to examine changes and trends in prevalence of smoking using multivariate logistic regression models. Main outcome measures: Trend in prevalence of current smoking for the years 1990 to 1999. Results: In 1990, the prevalence of current smoking in Massachusetts was 23.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 21.0% to 26.1%), and 24.2% in the rest of the USA (95% Cl 23.7% to 24.7%). By 1999, the prevalence had declined iii Massachusetts to 19.4%, and to 23.3% in 41 other US states. Controlling for sex, age, race, and education, there was a greater decline in current smoking between 1990 and 1999 among Massachusetts men than among Massachusetts women, and the decline was greater in Massachusetts than in the rest of the USA for men and for both sexes combined. Conclusions: These results suggest that the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program is having a beneficial impact, but suggest a need for additional targeted efforts to achieve similar declines among Massachusetts women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the resolutions adopted by the Bristol County Teachers' Association in Massachusetts on October 28, 1911. Cooperation with other teachers' associations in the state in lobbying for the adoption of a tenure of office legislation for teachers; Statement of a New Jersey state law which sets tenure of office for school employees.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to examine the diffusion of smoke-free restaurant regulations and identify socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in health protection from secondhand smoke exposure in restaurants., Methods: We examined the relationship between adoption of local smoking regulations by restaurants for each of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts and a number of individual variables over nine time points, starting when there were no 100% smoke-free restaurant regulations and ending with the eventual imposition of the statewide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars., Results: We found that over the 10 years before the statewide ban went into effect, only 36 percent of the total population was covered by local regulations that protected them from secondhand smoke exposure in restaurants. We also observed a substantial disparity in protection based on educational status, with up to 7 percentage points fewer nongraduates protected by local smoke-free restaurant regulations.

Objective: To assess the impact of the Massachusetts tobacco control programme, which, since its start in January 1993, has spent over $200m-"the highest per capita expenditure for tobacco control in the world"-funded by an extra tax of 25 cents per pack of cigarettes., Design: Population based trend analysis with comparison group., Subjects: Adult residents of Massachusetts and other US states excluding California., Main Outcome Measures: Per capita consumption of cigarettes as measured by states' sales tax records; prevalence of smoking in adults as measured by several population-based telephone surveys., Results: From 1988 to 1992, decline in per capita consumption of cigarettes in Massachusetts (15%) was similar to that in the comparison states (14%), corresponding to an annual decline of 3-4% for both groups. During 1992-3, consumption continued to decline by 4% in the comparison states but dropped 12% in Massachusetts in response to the tax increase. From 1993 onward, consumption in Massachusetts showed a consistent annual decline of more than 4%, whereas in the comparison states it levelled off, decreasing by less than 1% a year. From 1992, the prevalence of adult smoking in Massachusetts has declined annually by 0.43% (95% confidence interval 0.21% to 0.66%) compared with an increase of 0. 03% (-0.06% to 0.12%) in the comparison states (P<0.001)., Conclusions: These findings show that a strongly implemented, comprehensive tobacco control programme can significantly reduce tobacco use.