Movies drive teens to light up

2008-08-23 10:40

Chicago - Tobacco promotions and depictions of smoking in movies causes teenagers to start smoking, according to a sweeping report on tobacco in the media released on Thursday.

The report by the National Cancer Institute found the tobacco industry spent more than $13bn on smoking-related advertising and promotion in 2005.

These efforts boosted overall tobacco use, contradicting industry claims that they are intended to build brand loyalty.

"This is the first government report to present definitive conclusions that, number one, tobacco advertising and promotion are causally related to increased tobacco use in the population," said Dr Ronald Davis, senior scientific editor of the report and former president of the American Medical Association.

"And, number two, (it shows) that depictions of smoking in movies is causally related to youth smoking initiation," Davis told a news conference.

The report, which examined more than 1 000 scientific studies on how the media influences tobacco use, comes at a time when efforts to keep young Americans from picking up cigarettes have stalled.

Single-largest cause of preventable death

Tobacco use remains the single-largest cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for more than 400 000 premature deaths each year.

Smoking is down from 42% of US adults in 1965 to 21% in 2006.

Nonetheless, more than 4 000 young people smoke their first cigarette each day, and another 1 000 become regular smokers. Nearly 90% of adult smokers began smoking while in their teens.

The report found that even brief exposure to advertising influences adolescent attitudes. Three-quarters or more of hit movies depict cigarette smoking, and specific brands can be identified in about one-third.

But the report found that mass media campaigns aimed at reducing smoking do work, especially when combined with other tobacco-control strategies.

Health experts at the news conference called for much more money for such media efforts.

An assault on the nation's health

They said 1969 legislation banning smoking advertising in broadcast media and other curbs, have led tobacco companies to shift marketing tactics. Price discount promotions, which accounted for 75% of total tobacco marketing expenditures in 2005, have proved to be highly effective.

"Any promotional technique that lowers the price the kids see when they go to buy a pack of cigarettes is extremely important," Davis said. "Partial advertising bans don't work."

Dr Janet Collins, who directs chronic disease prevention and health promotion at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, endorsed the report's findings.

"The report speaks clearly to what amounts to an assault on the nation's health," Collins said.

The report comes just ahead of a Senate vote to give the US Food and Drug Administration oversight of tobacco regulation. The measure passed the US House of Representatives last month by a wide margin.

- Reuters