Note: World Lung Foundation united with The Union North America. From January 2016, the combined organization is known as “Vital Strategies.”
(Manila, Philippines and New York, USA) – World No Tobacco Day marks the launch of a new tobacco control campaign across eight provinces in the Philippines. The ad, developed by the Department of Health with support from University of the Philippines and World Lung Foundation, graphically depicts the tar that collects inside an average smoker’s lungs. The campaign, called ‘Sponge,’ will air on TV, radio and outdoor venues through June.
The eight provinces airing ‘Sponge,’ are: Misamis Occidental, Capiz, Oriental Mindoro, Agusan del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, Biliran, Negros Oriental and Southern Leyte. The campaign, which was tested rigorously among focus groups in 2008, has already aired in Australia, China, India, Mauritius, Russia, Ukraine and several other countries. The Filipino version aims to inform cigarette smokers in the provinces about the serious impact tobacco has on their health, and to motivate them to quit before they become sick.
Sandra Mullin, Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications, World Lung Foundation said, “The provinces airing this campaign are already establishing themselves as model jurisdictions for tobacco control in the Philippines. This kind of campaign is another example of a strong commitment to public health, and one that fits in very well with best practices around the world.”
Research has shown that mass media campaigns are one of the most effective means to encourage people to stop smoking. It is one of the World Health Organization’s M-P-O-W-E-R (W=Warn) strategies to reduce tobacco consumption. MPOWER strategies are endorsed and promoted by the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, of which World Lung Foundation is a principal partner.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of mortality in the world today, and is responsible for more than five million deaths each year – one in ten preventable deaths worldwide. In the Philippines, 17.3 million adults currently smoke (28.3 percent) and 54.4 percent of adults are exposed to tobacco smoke in the home in the past month.
The ‘Sponge’ TV and radio public service announcements are available upon request.