Under The Influence of Tobacco Marketing

Our Youth Are Under the Influence of Tobacco Marketing by Cassandra Holloway Youth exposure to tobacco marketing is directly correlated to youth tobacco use, with an estimated one­third of teenage smoking experimentation resulting from tobacco advertising. Nearly 9 out of 10 adult smokers began smoking by the age of 18. Every day in the United States, more than 3,000 youth under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette – and over 400 Vermont youth become daily smokers every year. According to the Tobacco Policy Center, youth are three times as susceptible as adults to tobacco advertisement. In 2014, the U.S. Surgeon General reported that “tobacco industry advertising and promotion cause youth and young adults to start smoking, and nicotine addiction keeps people smoking past those ages.” The U.S. Surgeon General also reported that several studies have shown that tobacco advertisement has more influence on teenage smoking behavior than smoking parents or peer pressure. In fact, according to their own internal documents, tobacco companies try to attract new young smokers by targeting retail stores near schools and playgrounds. The Center for Public Health and Tobacco Policy reports that tobacco companies spend five times more on tobacco point of sale marketing and promotion than junk food, soda, and alcohol combined. Also, most tobacco vendors have contracts with retailers that require retailers to advertise in a certain way. These contracts make voluntary change unworkable for most retailers, even if they want to change their store. In return, retailers get discounts on the wholesale prices or even receive cash incentives from the industry. The Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows that the number of smoke­free youth has increased significantly over the years. In our community alone, the percentage of Brattleboro high school students who stated they had NOT smoked a cigarette within 30 days oftaking the survey has increased from 62% in 2001 to 83% in 2013. However, progress in preventing youth tobacco use has slowed. The Vermont Department of Health and coalitions state­wide such as Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition feel strongly that we must change youth exposure to tobacco at the point of sale if we want to see an even greater increase in smoke­free youth. Retail stores remain the primary place where tobacco companies recruit new tobacco users ­ unsurprising given that seven out of 10 youth visit convenience stores at least once a week. To help parents address the impact of the retail environment, Vermont Department of Health created a new resource to talk to children about the influence of the tobacco industry in retail stores. Counter Balance was launched this October to educate parents and raise awareness about how the tobacco industry targets youth with advertising in the retail environment and how to help prevent the next generation of tobacco users. This highly visual campaign utilizes multiple channels including broadcast television, web, and social media. Counter Balance’s primary focus is to counter the tobacco industry’s influence on Vermont’s youth, especially in retail stores. The central hub of the campaign is the new website ​
counterbalancevt.com​
, which includes educational facts, tobacco industry tactics, research, tips, and sharable information. In addition, social media will play a key role in building awareness and educating parents about the impact tobacco advertising and promotion has on Vermont’s youth. The launch of the brand, website and social media outreach is just the first phase of a longer term initiative in Vermont. Counter Balance provides Vermonters with facts, tips, downloadable information to share, as well as opportunities to help spread the word to help prevent youth tobacco use. It’s time to end tobacco’s influence on Vermont’s kids. For more resources and information, visit counterbalancevt.com​
. Cassandra Holloway is the Coalition Coordinator for Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition (BAPC), a local nonprofit that organizes community efforts to be involved in the ongoing prevention and reduction ​
of​
alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse in the Windham Southeast area. Visit ​
www.BrattleboroAreaPreventionCoalition.org​
or call ​
802.257.2175​
to learn more about their prevention efforts and to get involved.