Today, the California
Governor's office announced that anti-smoking public service announcements
(PSAs) developed by the state will be included in youth-rated DVD movies
from several major Hollywood studios. The American Legacy Foundation(R), a
national public health foundation dedicated to reducing tobacco use in the
U.S., applauds the state of California for joining in the nationwide effort
to educate youth on the dangers of tobacco use. Moreover, as young people
continue to be exposed to tobacco images on screen and on television, the
effort to reach them in this way is critical.
More than half of youth-rated movies contain smoking, and research
shows these images can influence 200,000 new youth smokers a year. As a
result, the foundation and a host of national health organizations -
including the American Heart Association, American Medical Association,
American Lung Association and more - have long supported including
anti-smoking PSAs before movies with smoking, along with other smoke-free
movies policies.
The foundation is delighted that the California Department of Health, a
well-respected leader in state tobacco control has joined this important
life-saving initiative. Over the past few years, Legacy has worked closely
with state Attorneys General around the country to include PSAs from our
award-winning truth(R) youth smoking prevention campaign in DVDs, for both
youth- and R-rated movies. The Weinstein Company was an early leader in
this effort and has since included truth(R) spots in about two dozen films.
The Walt Disney Company (Miramax and Buena Vista studios) and Time Warner
(Warner Bros.) have also placed these important and highly effective ads
from truth(R) in DVDs.
"Putting ads in more movies is a positive step to curb the negative
effect that movie smoking has on youth starting to smoke," said Cheryl G.
Healton, Dr. P.H., President and CEO of the foundation. "We believe more
can, and must, be done by the industry. The most important way to reduce
youth exposure to smoking in movies is take it completely out of
youth-rated films."
Rigorous evaluation shows that truth(R) was responsible for 22 percent
of the overall decline in smoking rates in the campaign's first two years
(2000-2002) and 300,000 fewer smokers in 2002. The campaign is stronger
than ever, creatively reaching youth in innovative ways that we never would
have imagined 10 years ago. It engages youth through television, print and
online ads, social media all over the Internet, and now movies through DVDs
and theaters.
While we in public health and tobacco control have seen positive
progress in our collective efforts to end the tobacco epidemic, a recent
report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows us that,
although youth smoking is currently at the lowest level in the past 30
years, the recent substantial declines seen between 1997-2003 leveled off
between 2003-2007. To beat the number one preventable cause of death we
will have to use every tool in our arsenal - including community level
tobacco control programs and science-based counter-advertising mass media
campaigns like truth(R), and PSAs in movies, among other things.
The American Legacy Foundation(R) is dedicated to building a world
where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in
Washington, D.C., the foundation develops programs that address the health
effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations
disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants,
technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and
counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation's
programs include truth(R), a national youth smoking prevention campaign
that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth
smoking; EX(R), an innovative public health program designed to speak to
smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting;
research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to
reducing tobacco use; and a nationally-renowned program of outreach to
priority populations. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a
result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached
between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the
tobacco industry. Visit americanlegacy.
American Legacy Foundation
americanlegacy