Health News For South West
Tuesday, August 04, 2015
Oxford County
Smoke-Free Movie Night Returns
What the Health? to host popular event in Southside Park on August 7
It’s a chance for local families to enjoy an outdoor movie in scenic Southside Park free of charge, and free of smoke.
Oxford County Public Health’s youth group – What the Health? – is set to host its third annual Smoke-Free Movie Night on Friday, August 7 in Woodstock. The animated adventure/comedy movie Home will be shown on a giant inflatable screen at the base of the Southside Park toboggan hill, near the skate park.
The past two Smoke-Free Movie Nights have seen over 500 attendees enjoying the free movie, popcorn, and games that kick off at 7:00 p.m. Non-perishable food donations will be accepted in lieu of admission.
The event highlights the harmful impact that smoking in movies can have on youth. Research shows youth who see smoking in movies are more likely to start smoking. 57% of top grossing movies in theatres from 2004-2013 featured on-screen smoking, of which 86% were rated for youth in Ontario*.
The Ontario Coalition for Smoke-Free Movies has outlined five actions it would like to see to reduce youth exposure to on-screen smoking:
- Give new movies containing tobacco an adult rating i.e., 18A
- Require strong anti-smoking ads prior to movies depicting tobacco use in all distribution channels
- Certify no payoffs for displaying tobacco
- Stop identifying tobacco brands in movies, and
- Require films with tobacco imagery assigned a youth rating to be ineligible for government film subsidies
For more information, visit www.smokefreemovies.ca
More details about the Smoke-Free Movie Night can be found on the What the Health? website, or find them on Facebook or Twitter. The rain date for the event is Saturday, August 8
Media Contact:
Adam Nyp
Strategic Communication and Engagement
519-539-9800 ext 3529
anyp@oxfordcounty.ca
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