Youth Prevention

Research

Smoking scenes on rise in top-grossing youth-rated movies: CDC
A recent study finds that smoking in top-earning, youth-rated movies has increased since 2010. According to this study, four out of six major Hollywood studios increased the amount of smoking featured in their youth-rated (G, PG, and PG-13) movies in 2011 by more than one third compared to the previous year. The major studios where the sharpest increases were found were Disney, Universal, and Warner Brothers. All three of those studios already have published policies in place that address onscreen smoking. Additionally, 68% of all tobacco depictions were found in youth-rated movies in 2011 compared to 39% in 2010. Policies have been created to reduce tobacco related images in films, and limit the amount of these images shown to youth, but apparently they have not been upheld. The authors suggest that a uniform set of policies needs to be put in place in order to reduce youths’ exposure to onscreen smoking. Click here to read more about this study published in Preventing Chronic Disease. Click here to read the study abstract.

Teen smoking linked to earlier death
According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, adults who start smoking as adolescents are twice as likely to die early compared to adults who never smoked. Data were analyzed from about 28,000 men who attended Harvard University between 1916 and 1950 and reported being smokers as undergraduates. The average follow-up period was 53 years, and almost half of the participants had died during the follow-up period. Smokers were twice as likely to die compared to nonsmokers, and those who smoked as teenagers and then quit were found to have a significantly reduced risk of early death compared to those who continued to smoke. Those who quit smoking during the follow-up period had a 29% increase in risk of death versus nonsmokers. These findings highlight the importance of smoking cessation, especially at a younger age. Click here to read more. Click here to read the study abstract.

Tobacco use by Louisiana teens is higher than national average according to TFL research (LA)
Research finds that teen tobacco use in Louisiana is higher than the national average. The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living and the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center’s (LSUHSC) School of Public Health used data from the 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey to determine trends in tobacco use among teens. The prevalence of tobacco use among high school students in Louisiana of all races was significantly higher than the national prevalence; in Louisiana, 39% of white students and 36% of African American students used tobacco. National data showed an increase in tobacco use among African American students, and a decrease in use among white students from 2009 to 2011, yet Louisiana data showed that tobacco use remained steady for both white and black students. This study provides evidence that more work needs to be done in promoting awareness about the high rates of tobacco use among Louisiana youth of all races, and in creating programs to reduce these rates. Click here to read more. Click here to access the full report.

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Reports

The invasion begins: truth® releases new Flavor Monsters mobile game
truth®, Legacy’s youth smoking prevention campaign, has launched Flavor Monsters, a new mobile game, as another way for the campaign to reach teens and young people. Flavor Monsters is available for free download on select Apple and Android devices, as part of a comprehensive campaign encompassing touring, media integrations, gear, and products. The game builds on the recent “Unsweetened truth” campaign. That campaign, launched in March 2011, highlighted the many different flavorings – more than 45 – found in tobacco products. Although most flavors are banned for use in cigarettes, tobacco companies still use them in many other tobacco products, some of which closely resemble cigarettes or mints. The game transports users into a not-too-distant future where “flavor monsters” are attacking Earth. The “flavor monsters” are creatures that represent the added flavorings in tobacco. Players work to defeat these monsters, stopping the monster invasion. An accompanying field manual contains data on all the monsters, along with relevant tobacco-related facts, and details on the tools that can be used to defeat the monsters. Click here to read more, or click here for a behind-the-scenes look at Flavor Monsters.

Teens who have excellent relationships with their parents less likely to have used marijuana, alcohol or tobacco
A new white paper released by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University compared teens that have infrequent family dinners (less than three per week) with those that have more frequent family dinners. They found that teens that eat dinner with their family five to seven times per week are more likely to state that they have excellent relationships with their parents and are less likely to use drugs, alcohol, or smoke cigarettes. Teens that report less than a very good relationship with either parent are 3 to 4 times more likely to have used marijuana, about two times as likely to have used alcohol, and two and a half times more likely to have used tobacco. This study suggests that frequent family dinners improve teen and parental relationships, and help prevent marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco use. Click here to read more.

American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence now on Facebook
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence just launched its Facebook page to share the latest research, resources, tools, and funding opportunities to help protect children from tobacco and secondhand smoke exposure. Click here to log in to Facebook and access this page.

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