Every time you turn on the TV there is an antismoking commercial. But do these ads really get through to teens? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied an ad campaign in Minnesota to find out.

What the researchers wanted to know: Did ending an antitobacco campaign make it more likely that adolescents would start smoking?

What they did: An ad campaign, a youth organization, and a website targeted at discouraging youths from smoking were all part of the Target Market campaign in Minnesota from 2000 to 2003. Funding was slashed in July 2003 from $23.7 million to $4.6 million. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Minnesota Department of Health, and the National Cancer Institute used data from four telephone surveys between July 2002 and December 2003. Minnesotans ages 12 to 17 were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement "You will smoke a cigarette in the next year." Any answer but "strongly disagree" was interpreted as being susceptible to smoking. The kids also were asked a question to find out how aware they were of the Target Market campaign.

What they found: Susceptibility to smoking, which was fairly steady in the three surveys during the campaign, rose after the campaign ended from 43.3 percent of youths to 52.9 percent, a statistically significant increase. Awareness of the campaign dropped sharply after the campaign ended.

What this study means to you: If states cut funding for antitobacco campaigns, they may see an increase in adolescent smoking.

Caveats: The survey depends on kids to tell the truth and to remember the ad campaign, specifically the logo associated with it. And not all kids who are susceptible to smoking are guaranteed to start smoking, although previous research has showed this is likely.

Find out more: The Minnesota Smoke-Free Coalition laments the passing of the Target Market campaign: http://www.smokefreecoalition.org/

Learn more about tobacco and health at www.cdc.gov/tobacco/.

Read the article: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Effect of Ending an Antitobacco Youth Campaign on Adolescent Susceptibility to Cigarette Smoking—Minnesota, 2002-2003. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). April 16, 2004, Vol. 53, No. 14, pp. 301–304. Read it free at the CDC's MMWR website: www.cdc.gov/mmwr.