Youth-Created "Tobacco and Hollywood" Ad Unveiled
For
Immediate Release: Month Day, 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 Santa Ana for a June 3rd special event to unveil a youth-created “Tobacco and Hollywood” poster.
The unveiling of the artwork by Lilia Vega, a student and young artist from Orange County High School for the Arts, will be held June 3 at 1:30 p.m. at a bus shelter on the corner of McFadden Ave. and Main St. Lilia’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, free smoking cessation and prevention programs. Information about cessation services for adults and teens is available by calling 1-866-NEW-LUNG or 866-639-5864. More information about TUPP can be found on the Internet at
www.ochealthinfo.com/tupp or by calling (714) 541-1444.
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