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Action on Smoking and Health
A National Legal-Action Antismoking Organization Entirely Supported by Tax-Deductible Contributions
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Foundation Launches New Campaign Against Secondhand Smoke and Children [01/13-2]
Excerpts from: More Than 13 Million American Children Regularly Breathing Secondhand Smoke in
Their Homes, Cars
PR Newswire [01/11/05]
The American Legacy Foundation(R) is
sponsoring a new public health campaign, launched today in partnership with
the Ad Council, to educate Americans and especially parents about the dangers
of secondhand smoke and motivate them to take steps to create smoke-free
environments for their families. The launch coincides with new foundation
research that demonstrates that more than 13 million American children are
breathing secondhand smoke in their homes -- resulting in serious public
health implications.
The foundation report titled Secondhand Smoke: Youth Exposure and Adult Attitudes notes that, in 2003, 13 percent of youth aged 12 to 17 were exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes, and about 7 percent of youth in this group are exposed to secondhand smoke in the family car. Secondhand smoke puts Americans at risk for serious health consequences, including cancer, respiratory diseases and sudden-infant-death syndrome (SIDS).
The new research also shows that:
* In 82 percent of the cases where a young person lives with a smoker,
that smoker is a parent.
* About 5.6 million young people between the ages of 12 and 17
currently live in a household with at least one parent who smokes.
Of these youth, 1.3 million live in a household with two smoking
parents.
* Youth reports indicate that although 70 percent of all US households
completely ban smoking in their homes, among households in which a
smoker lives, only 46 percent have rules against smoking in the
home.
Titled Don't Pass Gas, the light-hearted campaign on a serious subject
hopes to capture the public's attention. Radio and television public service
advertisements (PSAs) focus on family members "shooing" away gas, holding their noses, and blaming dad or grandpa for the offensive behavior, before the audience learns that the "gas" being referenced is actually secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is a mixture of gases and extremely small solid materials, thus the irreverent play on words transposing secondhand smoke with "passing gas." Notably, this is the first time an Ad Council campaign has focused on a tobacco issue. This is the first Ad Council campaign or partnership to address the issue of secondhand smoke.
The "Don't Pass Gas" campaign includes television and radio PSAs, in addition to print ads and Internet advertising. The public also can visit http://www.dontpassgas.org for information on the dangers of secondhand smoke and to find resources for families. Per the Ad Council model, all of the PSAs are being distributed to more than 28,000 media outlets nationwide next week and will run and air in advertising time and space that is donated by the media.
Callers can also phone the toll-free number 1-888-NO PASS GAS to receive a brochure containing information on secondhand smoke and learn how to safeguard their homes and cars against secondhand smoke. (In addition, social support can play a key role in helping smokers quit successfully. Visit http://www.join-the-circle.org for more information.)
Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical substances, including several known human carcinogens. In June 2004, the foundation released other data showing that a small reduction in tobacco smoke exposure would spare thousands of children from devastating health problems, including fewer low birth-weight babies, fewer cases of asthma and fewer ear infections. The best actions parents can take to protect their families from secondhand smoke are:
* Make your home smoke-free
* Keep your car smoke-free
* Stop smoking around children
Brenda Bell Caffee, a national tobacco control advocate, joined Dr. Healton and Ms. Conlon to call attention to this national problem. Bell Caffee created Not in Mama's Kitchen, which launched in African American communities across California on Mother's Day in 1999. The program is designed to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke by encouraging families to prohibit smoking in their homes and cars. Because many African American households are female headed, the program targeted mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters. The highly collaborative campaign partnered with churches, schools and nonprofits to get commitment pledges signed by women to not allow smoking in their houses or cars on Mother's Day.
"We must protect our children from this danger," Bell Caffee said. "I realize that it can be tough to stop smoking, but it is easy to make the decision to keep secondhand smoke away from children and be sure that we, as parents, follow through on the decision to keep smoke out of our homes and cars." Since its inception, Not In Mama's Kitchen has been replicated in approximately 50 cities across the United States. The Ad Council and the American Legacy Foundation worked with award- winning Miami, Florida-based agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky to produce the campaign pro-bono. The full-service agency, in partnership with Arnold Worldwide of Boston, also works on the American Legacy Foundation's award- winning truth(R) youth smoking prevention campaign. "When we think of the Ad Council, we think of great copy like 'You can learn a lot from a dummy,'" said Alex Bogusky, Executive Creative Director at Crispin Porter + Bogusky. "It's our hope that 'Don't Pass Gas' becomes the line that makes it easy to remember that we need to be careful about smoking around others, and also gives non-smokers a fun way to remind smokers that have forgotten. It's all done in an entertaining way that we hope will start some conversations and word of mouth about the potential dangers involved with secondhand smoke."
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