SILVER SPRING, Md. — Three years ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took aim at preventing tobacco use among U.S. youth. As a result, according to the agency, hundreds of thousands of youths have been affected.

"Since launching in 2014, FDA's 'The Real Cost' has successfully prevented nearly 350,000 youth ages 11-18 from smoking," the agency tweeted on Jan. 19.

As CSNews Online previously reported, "The Real Cost" targeted at-risk youths aged 12 to 17 who are open to smoking or already experimenting with cigarettes. The effort ran across multiple media platforms, including TV, radio, print and online. The $115-million campaign aired in more than 200 markets across the country.

According to the agency, the goal of the campaign was to educate at-risk youths about the harmful effects of tobacco use in hopes of reducing initiation rates among youths who are open to smoking, and reducing the number of youths already experimenting with cigarettes that progress to regular use.

"The Real Cost" was the first of several campaigns that the FDA launched since February 2014. Subsequent campaigns targeted additional discrete audiences, including multicultural youths, rural youths, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youths.

