Tobacco & Youth Media Awareness Developed By: Karla Loder Health Promotion & Education Consultant

What is Media Awareness? Media awareness is actively thinking about the methods a group or person can/will use to get power and control. Print – newspapers, magazines, photos Electronic – radio, television, *movies Social Media or New Age – websites, cell phones, social media

How Harmful is Tobacco? Smoking causes preventable illnesses Adults don’t start smoking…kids do Linked to HD, Cancers, etc. Over 45,000 Canadians 3.5 million worldwide A pack of cigarettes/per day for one year = 1 quart of tar in the lungs

Cigarette Ingredients Tar – 400 carcinogenic compounds Nicotine – Addictive, poisonous Cyanide – Gas used for executions Carbon Monoxide – car exhaust Formaldehyde – Preserving Fluid Hexamine – Barbecue Lighter Ammonia – Toilet Cleaner Cadmium - Batteries

A Closer Look…

Just One Cigarette … Heartbeat speeds up Leaves chemicals in the lungs Increases blood pressure Cuts down blood & oxygen flow Body temperature drops Slows you down

What is Second-Hand Smoke? Exhaled mainstream smoke from a smoker Side-stream smoke emitted from the burning end of a cigarette Contaminants released by the smoker into the air during a puff One puff releases contaminants Breathe in over 35 chemicals that are known to lead to cancer

Second Hand Smoke Exposed Also called Environmental Tobacco Smoke Affects 2.4 million Canadian homes Children - 12 report regular exposure to second-hand smoke An estimated 4000 deaths occur each year in Canada Non-smokers exposed to smoke – levels of nicotine in blood 40 hours later

The Tobacco Industry Masters of Manipulation They need about 450 new smokers per day to replace those who have quit or died You are considered “replacement smokers” This year, nearly 5000 children in NL will try their first cigarette

Big Tobacco – 9 D’s Deny the health consequences of smoking. Deceive consumers about the true nature of cigarettes through marketing and PR. Damage the credibility of industry opponents. Direct advertising to women and youth, in addition to men, to maximize sales volume. Defeat attempts to regulate the industry or control smoking. Delay legislation if it can’t be defeated. Destroy legislation once it passes, either by trying to overturn the law in court, by disobeying the law, or by exploiting loopholes. Defend lawsuits filed against the industry. Develop new markets

Smoking is a Youth Issue? $260+/yr. million from youth dollars 90% of those who start smoking…children or teenagers 1st smoking experience – established smoker Second-hand smoke kills 600,000 people per year world-wide

Smoking is a Youth Issue(2) Smoking is expensive! Teens smoke > a billion cigarettes a year = $400 million/year Smoker’s inhale approx. 1 mg of nicotine per cigarette A daily dose of 5 mg is enough to addict most people

What Are Youth Saying? Top 6 Reasons Young People Believe Others Their Age Start Smoking… Peer Pressure Curiosity Popular Kids Do It “It’s Cool” Mothers and/or Fathers Smoke Brothers and/or Sisters Smoke (Youth Smoking Survey, Statistics Canada, 2002)

What the Experts Say What role do the media play in influencing young people to smoke? Self-Promotion of Tobacco Companies Learned Behaviors Peer Pressure

Peer Pressure Social influence You learn from your friends, they learn from you Positive/negative influence Affects behavior Is it easy to say no?

Smoking - it’s just as well to… …burn your $

10 Good Reasons to Stop if you have Started! Ages the skin prematurely Teeth and fingers get stained brown Hair, clothes and breath stink Pack/day smoker spends over $240 month and nearly $3000 a year! (Avg. $8/pack) 10 X more likely to die early from a major heart attack or stroke

Good Reasons to Stop (2) 9 out of 10 lung cancer deaths Male smokers have a lower sperm count Female smokers have more trouble getting pregnant - higher rate of miscarriages You may get "peripheral vascular disease" - restricts blood flow to the hands and feet. If you don't smoke you'll be fitter.

About Media & Advertising $80 million + per year spent in Canada on promotions and sponsorships. Target - non-smoking youth TC promote tobacco use Product Placement - Media Scene Smoking – Television/Movies Introduction of new products Sponsorships – Sports and other events Smoking materials (lighters, matches, ashtrays)

Tobacco in Movies & Music

Does “Seeing” Really Lead to “Doing?” Scene smoking, print ads, sponsorships for sporting events 90,000 Canadian teens start smoking each year. Over 245 Canadian teens per day Most smokers start using tobacco before the age of 18 Many try it before their 13th birthday

Fast Facts Youth - 2 X as likely to be influenced by movie advertising than by peer pressure TC Companies work very hard to get brand depiction in movies Groups working towards anti-smoking warnings on DVD’s

Does Scene Smoking Happen A Lot?

…Yes it Does Superman II - $45,000 for product placement “(Cameron) gave up smoking as her 1999 New Year’s resolution after her parents remarked that she had smoked in seven of her movies. “It was something to do with setting a bad example and it preyed on my conscience,” she says. Cameron used to smoke the high nicotine, unfiltered type. “I was into roll-your-own, and I was killing myself.” Now Magazine (UK), Feb. 2, 2000, p. 42-43 (FCSL)   Superman II - $45,000 for product placement

What They Don’t Want You To Know They need to recruit youth You represent tomorrow’s business 14-24 age group - represent smoker’s for next 25 years Once a youth is hooked, (s)he is good for business (S)he will pay the tobacco company about $40,000+ in their lifetime

“Creative” Attempts to Target Youth Millions spent – developing new products Packaging – colors, designs, etc. Sponsor sporting/arts events Women/girls have been extensively targeted in marketing in recent years

What were Power Walls? Power walls came down on January 1st, 2010 No longer display, promote, advertise cigarettes The Tobacco Industry uses rows and rows of cigarette packages to market tobacco to children and youth. Still consider you the industry’s newest customer. Willing to try just about anything to get your business Before After

Tobacco Products TC are using packaging/advertising tactics Invent new products to recruit youth for tobacco use.

History of Advertisements Ads have been around a long time Cigarette companies have spent millions of dollars over the years to advertise their lethal product Historically, we’ve come a long way 1950’s Ads influence pre-smokers to try smoking Product traps you Some people become “established” smokers 1950’s

Print & Sport Sponsorship

Event Sponsorships & Smoking Materials

Some Good News… Smoke-Free Policies (Schools, Hospitals) Ban smoking in cars with passengers under 16 Health warnings on cigarette packs Health Canada Larger, more graphic images 75% of pack Toll-free number for quit-line Social marketing campaign Visible early 2012

Examples of New Packaging

Okay…So What Can You Do? Make healthy informed choices about smoking If you smoke, try quitting If your family/friends smoke…ask them to stop Beware of wolves in sheep clothing Educate self and others about tobacco and media awareness

Smoking Education in the Labrador-Grenfell Region Encouraging non-smokers to never start Helping smokers stop Smoker’s Helpline – 1-800-363-5864 Talking about smoking with others of all ages Develop initiatives with partners Quit Smoking Programs

Questions… Karla Loder Health Promotion & Education Consultant Tobacco Reduction T: 709-454-3333, X346 E: karla.loder@lghealth.ca