| World
No Tobacco Day 2008
Theme:
TOBACCO-FREE YOUTH
Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the
world. It is the only consumer product that kills when used as intended by
its manufacturers. Tobacco kills up to 50% of its regular users.
Approximately 325 million young people live in the WHO
South-East Asia Region today with
85% living in developing countries. Having survived the vulnerable
childhood period, they are generally healthy. Nevertheless, tobacco use is
contributing to the deadly mix that is changing the classic picture of
healthy youth in the world.
Adolescent experimentation with this highly addictive
product, aggressively pushed by the tobacco industry, can easily lead to a
lifetime of tobacco dependence.
One of the most effective ways to protect young people
from the harms of tobacco use is to ban advertising or promotion of tobacco
products, and the sponsorship by the tobacco industry of any events or
activities.
This year's campaign will focus on ‘Tobacco marketing’
that hooks young people to a product, tobacco, that kills up to half of its
users. Complete bans on all forms of direct and indirect advertising,
including sponsorship, are highly effective in protecting youth from
initiating tobacco use.
Exposure to pro-tobacco advertisements, promotion and
sponsorship as well as accessibility, availability, favorable prices and
social acceptance of tobacco products play a crucial role in
experimentation and transition to regular consumer. Tobacco promotional
activities are causally related to the onset of tobacco use in adolescents
and exposure to tobacco products advertising is predictive of consumption
among youth.
The tobacco industry spends tens of billions of dollars
worldwide annually in marketing their deadly products. Their marketing
activities are intended to bring new, young, and hopefully life-long
tobacco users into the market in order to replace those who die.
Forms of direct tobacco promotion include: radio;
television; magazines; banners, posters and hoardings; direct mail;
coupons; sweepstake offers; brand loyalty programs; sponsorship of
specialized entertainment events in popular youth locations such as bars
and clubs; and controlled circulation magazines distributed to those on the
tobacco industry’s large mailing list.
A call for action
Call for 100%
BANS ON ADVERTISING, SPONSORSHIP AND PROMOTION OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS !
Call to policy-makers: to require by law
comprehensive bans on all direct and indirect forms of advertisement,
promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products. Policy-makers should be
aware that voluntary policies do not work and are not an acceptable
response to protecting the public, especially youth, from industry
marketing tactics. Policy-makers should also be aware that the epidemic
strikes hardest in developing countries, where more than two-third of the
world's tobacco users live. To the tobacco companies, these economies
represent vast new marketplaces in which they can promote their deadly
products and seek "replacement smokers" among youth.
Call to the public: the campaign also aims
at raising awareness of and encouraging people (youth, parents and
organizations advocating for youth) to require policy-makers to ban
advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products. HQ WNTD 2008 TFI
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