Public Health "Shock Adds" - The Full Frontal Truth

This is you brain on Drugs: 1987.
Source: NY Times

Here is a nice article exploring the controversy of using 'shock adds' as public health messages. The adds may be displeasing to some. The effectiveness of this tactic is certainly up for debate. In New York City, an aggressive anti-smoking campaign is partly credited with an all time low smoking prevalence of 14%.


Perhaps there is no single best way to display a public health message. There is no credible evidence, however, that aggressive public health 'shock adds' actually increase high risk behavior.


Below is an anti-smoking commercial. Until a negative health effect is established, press on.