Youth-Created "Tobacco and
Hollywood" Ad Unveiled
For
Immediate Release: May 5, 2008
Contact: Barbara Brashear (714) 834-3232
(Santa Ana) - To help youth make informed decisions and to
counter the influence that
smoking in movies has on youth, the County of Orange Health Care
Agency’s Tobacco
Use Prevention Program (TUPP) is joining with community leaders,
educators and
students in the City of La Habra for a May 6th special event to
unveil a youth-created
“Tobacco and Hollywood” poster.
The unveiling of the artwork by Diane Negrete
and Rocio Martinez, students and young
artists from Sonora High School, will be held May 6 at 1:30 p.m.
at a bus shelter on the
corner of La Habra Blvd. and Palm St. Diane and Rocio’s cartoon
was chosen from
more than 100 entries as one of the best cartoons educating the
public about the impact
that smoking in movies has on youth. The “Tobacco and Hollywood”
project offers youth
ages 11-17 the opportunity to make a positive impact in the
community through the
development of their artwork.
Smoking in movies has been shown in research
studies to increase the likelihood that
youth will start smoking. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) has
repeatedly cited exposure to tobacco use in media as a major
factor in youth smoking.
Youth who see smoking on television and other media are more
likely to start smoking
than youth who are not exposed to smoking in media. Each year an
estimated 390,000
teens start smoking because of exposure to smoking in movies and
120,000 will die
prematurely as a result, according to a national study published
in the journal Pediatrics.
The mission of the Tobacco Use Prevention Program (TUPP) is to
reduce tobacco use
and exposure to secondhand smoke in Orange County by
collaborating with community
organizations, public agencies and committed individuals. TUPP
offers youth and adults
tobacco education as well as free smoking cessation and
prevention programs.
Information about cessation services for adults and teens is
available by calling (866) NEW-LUNG or (866) 639-5864. More information about TUPP can be found on
the Internet at
ochealthinfo.com/tupp or by calling (714) 541-1444.
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