Study co-authored by UNE researcher Ruth Dufresne published in national journal

Ruth Dufresne

A study on health education campaigns and quit line call volume in Maine that was co-authored by Ruth Dufresne, S.M., senior research associate in the Center for Excellence in Public Health, was recently published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, a public health journal focused on defining the public health workforce, performance management and bridging the research to practice gap.

The study, titled “Media Flight Schedules and Seasonality in Relation to Quit Line Call Volume,” examined whether the number of calls to the Maine Tobacco Helpline was impacted by media flight scheduling—a strategy that ensures maximum exposure to advertising during optimal periods.

Daily call volume was matched with weekly gross rating points (GRPs), which measure the performance and impact of advertising, while accounting for the number of GRPs, seasonality, holidays and other factors. 

The number of GRPs was a significant predictor of call volume. The weekly number of GRPs within a media flight schedule was the most important indicator for potential effectiveness.

The study found the type of media flight schedule should be considered in order to increase tobacco quit line call volume.

The study was co-authored by Rebecca Murphy-Hoefer, Ph.D., health scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, in Atlanta, Georgia. At the time of the study, Murphy-Hoefer was working with UNE as a consultant.

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The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.