Monday, February 22, 2016
Elgin St Thomas Public Health
The Health Unit Joins the WHO in Their Call for Government Action Against Smoking in the Movies
The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for governments to take action to prevent young people from starting tobacco use by ensuring that movies that portray tobacco use and tobacco brands have an adult rating. Here in Canada, that means that most movies with tobacco scenes or depictions of tobacco brands would be rated "18A" or "R".
According to the WHO's most recent edition of its report Smoke-free Movies: From Evidence to Action, movies showing the use of tobacco products have enticed millions of young people worldwide to start smoking. This global report reaffirms research done by the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit concluding that in Ontario alone, at least 185,000 children and teens will be recruited to smoking cigarettes from exposure to onscreen smoking. In Ontario, between 2004 and 2013, 57% of top grossing movies featured onscreen smoking, and $86% of movies with tobacco were youth-rated.
The Health Unit has been working to raise awareness of the impact that smoking in movies has on children and youth. Public Health Promoter, Jessica Austin is please to see the WHO calling on governments to change the rating of movies that show smoking. "Research shows that 37% of youth start smoking because of what they see in movies. This does not surprise me with the impact Hollywood has on shaping mainstream culture. To incorporate tobacco use into films aimed at children/youth only raises the question, why is it even in there?" states Austin.
With ever tighter restrictions on tobacco advertising, films remains one of the last channels exposing millions of adolescents to smoking imagery without restrictions," says Dr. Douglas Bettcher, WHO's Director for the Department of Prevent of Noncommunicable Diseases.
To see the full report by the WHO and more information or to take action, visit www.smokefreemovies.ca.
Media Contact:
Jessica Austin, Health Promoter
jaustin@elginhealth.on.ca
519-631-9900 ext 1315
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