Research

Inhaling from just 1 cigarette can lead to nicotine addiction
A new study indicates that smoking just one cigarette can stimulate nicotine addiction in some young people. Researchers monitored 1,246 sixth-grade students in Massachusetts for four years, interviewing them regularly about smoking behavior and signs of addiction. Primary results suggest that 10 percent of youth who become addicted are hooked within two days of the first inhalation, while 25 percent find themselves addicted within one month. Moreover, students who smoked a few cigarettes per month demonstrated withdrawal symptoms when deprived of nicotine. These results contradict the commonly-held belief that withdrawal is a consequence only of smoking five cigarettes or more per day. Click here to read more about the study, recently published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

Convenience stores that sell gas most likely to sell cigarettes to kids
A recent study reveals that convenience stores that sell gas are the establishments most likely to sell cigarettes to minors. Researchers at the Group Health Community Foundation in Seattle analyzed data from almost 9,000 compliance checks performed by minors over a four-year period in Washington. They found that tobacco sales to minors comprised 9.3 percent of all sales in convenience stores that sell gas, compared to 7.4 percent at grocery stores, 5.2 percent at restaurants, and 3.4 percent at tobacco stores. Store clerks under the age of 18 were very likely to sell tobacco to minors, while asking for identification was associated with fewer illicit sales to minors. Click here to read more about the study, recently published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

UGA study explains why anti-smoking ads backfire or succeed
A recent study has helped to shed light on why some anti-smoking advertisements discourage smoking, while many others result in increased experimentation among young Americans. In order to better understand the association between exposure to anti-smoking advertisements and the intention to smoke, researchers at the University of Georgia examined data from approximately 1,700 middle school students. They found that, in general, greater exposure to anti-smoking advertisements corresponded with stronger intentions to smoke. The one exception to this trend, where exposure was negatively correlated with intention, was when adolescents believed that their friends were listening to and being influenced by the advertisements. Click here to read more about the study, which will appear in the August issue of Communication Research.

‘Hairspray’ gets a cig-nature rating
Hairspray is the first film to debut this summer with a warning about the presence of smoking. The advisory cites “momentary teen smoking,” although the movie earned only a PG rating. Anti-smoking groups, like the American Legacy Foundation, have expressed frustration about this rating and are calling on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to take smoking more seriously. The MPAA’s ratings of six other summer movies that include smoking have been evenly split between PG and PG-13. Click here to read more.

Disney is the latest to say smoking, cinema don’t mix
Walt Disney Co. recently announced that it will ban smoking in films produced with the Disney label, and discourage smoking in films produced by Touchstone Pictures and Miramax. A ban on smoking in the primarily family-oriented Disney movies will be an easier move to make, however, than discouraging smoking in the adult-oriented films of Touchstone and Miramax. The latter may give the company trouble because Disney has a history of granting its producers and directors nearly total control of how they make their movies. Disney has also agreed to place anti-smoking public service announcements on DVDs of all future films that include smoking scenes. To read more, click here.

Youth audience segmentation strategies for smoking prevention mass media campaigns based on message appeal
A recent study has uncovered differences in anti-smoking message appeal for diverse youth audiences. Researchers surveyed over 1,230 students in grades four through twelve and had them rate a variety of smoking prevention messages. To inform the development of segmented messages, they determined what effect individual characteristics had on the anti-smoking message ratings. They found that ratings tended to be similar among racial and ethnic groups for younger participants, while more differences were observed among older youth across racial and ethnic groups. Gender also was also a significant characteristic affecting the ratings. Click here to view the study abstract, which is published in the August edition of Health Education and Behavior.

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Resources

The National African American Tobacco Prevention Network (NAATPN) posts new Kool-sponsored events
The National African American Tobacco Prevention Network (NAATPN) has posted an updated list of RJ Reynolds-sponsored KOOL brand marketing events that are held in nightclubs, bars and other venues around the country. Miami, New York City, Pittsburgh and Chicago are currently the most heavily targeted cities for KOOL events, and many young, popular Black performers are scheduled to appear at the events. The current nationwide event total is 268.  These events provide an opportunity for counter-marketing and gathering information. For more details, click here.

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Projects

The American Legacy Foundation launches its 2007 truth ® tour
The American Legacy Foundation (ALF) launched its 2007 truth ® tour on June 29th in Los Angeles, CA. The goal of the truth ® tour is to give teens the skills they need to resist tobacco industry marketing strategies. This is accomplished by relaying information about tobacco addiction as well as the health effects and social consequences of tobacco use. During the summer the tour will stop in 49 cities across 29 states and will partner with Vans Warped Tour and SCREAMFEST ’07, two music tours aimed at teenagers. Click here for more information and to see which cities the truth ® tour will visit.

Does hip hop promote smoking?
The Mixed Messages campaign, introduced by the Berkeley Tobacco Prevention Program in 2005, gives students the chance to analyze song lyrics and identify pro-tobacco messages. The program is operated by high school and college interns, who play popular songs for middle and high school classes to demonstrate how tobacco products are marketed. The Mixed Messages program also gives students the chance to write to celebrities and ask them to consider the content of their lyrics. Click here to read more.

Smoke Free Movies launches advertisements criticizing MPAA guidelines
Smoke Free Movies has launched a series of print advertisements in the Daily Variety in San Francisco to highlight the inadequacy of the MPAA’s recent guidelines regarding smoking in movies. The advertisements feature remarks by Senators Dick Durbin, Edward Kennedy and Frank Lautenberg and advocate an ‘R’ rating for all movies that contain smoking. Click here to access one of the advertisements.

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