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Elizabeth A. Smith, PhD, Katherine Thomson, BA, Naphtali Offen, BS and Ruth E. Malone, PhD, RN

The authors are with the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Ruth E. Malone, PhD, RN, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, 3333 California St, Suite 455, San Francisco, CA 94118 (e-mail: ruth.malone{at}ucsf.edu).

In the public health literature, it is generally assumed that the perception of "targeting" as positive or negative by the targeted audience depends on the product or message being promoted. Smoking prevalence rates are high among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, but little is known about how they perceive tobacco industry targeting.

We conducted focus groups with LGBT individuals in 4 US cities to explore their perceptions. Our findings indicated that focus group participants often responded positively to tobacco company targeting.

Targeting connoted community visibility, legitimacy, and economic viability. Participants did not view tobacco as a gay health issue. Targeting is a key aspect of corporate–community interaction. A better understanding of targeting may aid public health efforts to counter corporate disease promotion.

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