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October 2011
In This Issue:
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Tobacco Survey Will Serve as Warning System on Tobacco Industry Marketing
Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a collaboration to conduct a large-scale, national study of tobacco use in the United States. The objective of the study is to monitor and assess the behavioral and health impacts of the new government tobacco regulations since the FDA gained regulatory authority over tobacco in 2009. Legacy and the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies are proud to be a part of this effort as a contractor to conduct this landmark national survey. The study will give scientists and policy makers the essential resources and tools they need to address the tobacco epidemic and to evaluate what efforts are making a difference in saving lives.
To read more about this collaborative effort, click here.
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Panelists Discuss America Post Tobacco
To coincide with a new book recently released by Columbia University Press titled, After Tobacco: What Would Happen if Americans Stopped Smoking?, Legacy brought together experts in public health and tobacco control to discuss what the nation might look like if and when smoking rates plummet to historic lows. During a discussion held at Legacy in Washington, D.C., the panelists considered the social and economic impact of reducing smoking rates on minority and disparate populations, such as those suffering from mental illness. Panelists also discussed what it will take to reach current national public health goals, including reducing not just cigarette use, but eliminating all forms of tobacco. Experts also discussed the benefits and consequences of emerging nicotine delivery systems while taking a deep look at the science around nicotine and addiction.
The session included:
- Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse
- Dr. Jed E. Rose, Duke Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research, Duke University Medical Center
- Dr. David Levy, contributing author of After Tobacco and a Senior Scientist with Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
- Dr. Pebbles Fagan, Associate Professor and Program Director, Prevention and Control, University of Hawaii Cancer Center
- Moderated by Dr. David Abrams, Executive Director of the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at Legacy
To view the archived webcast, visit www.legacyforhealthorg/WarnerSeries.
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Smoking is a Drag at the Box Office
A new Legacy-funded study finds that, on average, smoke-free movies make more money at the box office than movies with smoking scenes and incidents. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco analyzed more than 1,200 films released to theaters between 2002 and 2010 and found that of all movies, those containing smoking made 87 percent of what comparably rated smoke-free movies earned. Among movies with similar smoking status, either smoke-free or with smoking, those that were rated R only made 87 percent of what PG-13 movies made.
Exposure to smoking in movies can influence up to 200,000 youth to light up for the first time every year. For this reasons, public health authorities - such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization - have called on movie studios to implement policies that would reduce youth exposure to smoking in movies, such as rating movies with smoking R. While studios traditionally rate more movies PG-13 because of their broad reach and higher box office sales, the results suggest that studios could benefit from making a movie smoke-free and would not have any financial impediments that would delay implementing an R-rating.
To read the full release, click here.
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That's a Wrap!
The annual truth® summer tour came to a close this September, logging more than 28,000 miles as the truth tour bus and riders crisscrossed the country. Throughout the summer, truth traveled with popular music and sporting events including the Vans Warped Tour® and the Quiksilver Presents Birdhouse Skateboards MIAtoNYC Tour powered by Tech Deck, a skate event featuring legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk and other popular skateboarders. As in past years, the tour included fun and interactive elements in order to stay relevant and engage teens on their level.
At each tour stop, tour riders played games, and held dance contests and freestyle rap "battles" as a way to bring teens into the truth "zone" and start a conversation about tobacco.
The tour experience also played out online throughout the summer. At thetruth.com, teens could see photos taken in the field by tour riders, watch videos created by the tour riders, follow tweets from the tour, and enter contests to win concert tickets and free gear, like truth-branded t-shirts and skateboard decks. All told, the The "tour riders" and a DJ visited 50 cities in 29 different states.
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Diane Canova Joins Legacy as Vice President of Government Affairs
Diane Canova joins Legacy as the Vice President of Government Affairs, where she will build on the organization's prior work to educate key public policy makers on Legacy's successful efforts to reduce tobacco use and save lives. Before Legacy, Canova led a comprehensive array of prevention-focused initiatives at Partnership for Prevention, including tobacco control and cessation, workplace health, and obesity prevention. She previously served as the Vice President of Advocacy for the American Heart Association (AHA), for seven years, where she directed the organization's public policy office and implemented many successful legislative and regulatory campaigns including the "You're the Cure" volunteer network, which under her direction increased participation from 12,000 to 50,000 members. Canova received her Juris Doctor from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville and Bachelor of Science in Education from Kent State University in Ohio.
* While Legacy does not lobby, the organization otherwise actively advocates for and educates about the critical need for youth smoking prevention and adult cessation. Canova will participate in the development of strategic partnerships with organizations who share the foundation's mission, and work to secure support for and advance Legacy's goals.
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Trivia Night Takes on Tobacco
Since 2010, Legacy has been teaming up with young professionals in New York City who share the common goal of raising funds and increasing awareness about Legacy's life-saving work.
On November 15, 2011, Legacy's Young Professionals Committee will host a Fall trivia night and cocktail tarty at the King's Head Tavern near Union Square in NYC. It will be a fun-filled evening of food, drinks, challenging trivia and prizes. All proceeds support Legacy's efforts in tobacco prevention and smoking cessation. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.legacyforhealth.org/yp. If you have questions about the Young Professionals committee or future events, please e-mail Samantha Dodds at sdodds@legacyforhealth.sdodds@legacyforhealth.org.
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Federal Employees Make a Difference through the Combined Federal Campaign
Now celebrating its 50th year anniversary, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the largest workplace charity campaign, raising funds for charity through the generous support of Federal civilian, postal and military donors. Legacy is a national charity of the CFC. This year's campaign kicks off September 1, 2011 and runs through December 15, 2011.
If you are a Federal employee, in the military, or work for the U.S. Postal Service, please support Legacy's work as generously as you can with your donation. Legacy can be found listed among the national/international independent agencies under charity #19203 (American Legacy Foundation). Every cent goes towards our mission to build a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit.
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