Note: World Lung Foundation united with The Union North America. From January 2016, the combined organization is known as “Vital Strategies.”
(December 23rd, 2015, Nuevo León, Mexico, and New York, USA) World Lung Foundation (WLF) today congratulated the government of Nuevo León, Mexico on the launch of a new anti-tobacco campaign using mass and social media. The campaign features a public service announcement (PSA) entitled “Stop smoking, Nuevo León” that encourages citizens to think about the harms of tobacco use, protect others from secondhand smoke (SHS), support the State’s comprehensive smokefree laws and quit smoking. “Stop smoking, Nuevo León” launches on social media channels from today to coincide with the holiday period and will launch on TV and radio channels in January 2016. The campaign, which will run until the end of March 2016 and is expected to reach 5.5 million people, was developed and implemented by the Ministry of Health of Nuevo León with technical and financial support from WLF.
The “Stop smoking, Nuevo León” social media campaign can be viewed on Facebook and Twitter. “Stop smoking, Nuevo León” graphically shows that tobacco smoke contains hundreds of toxic, poisonous substances, including cadmium, polonium, arsenic and ammonia, which enter the respiratory systems of smokers and non-smokers exposed to SHS, causing major health harms. The PSA also reminds smokers that comprehensive smokefree laws are in force in Nuevo León, banning smoking in public places. The PSA ends with a call to action to smokers, saying: “Stop smoking today!”
Reminding smokers that they shouldn’t smoke in public places and around family members is especially important at this busy, social time of year, and can help to stimulate intention to quit associated with New Year resolutions. It’s particularly important to protect youth from smoking. Research indicates that SHS causes specific harms to children’s developing hearts, lungs and brains and youth are more likely to initiate smoking if it is the norm among their friendship groups or family (particularly parents), if they are exposed to tobacco in public places or exposed to tobacco advertising.
Dr. Manuel Enrique de la O Cavazos, Health Secretary of Nuevo León and Director of the state’s public health services said: “We believe this campaign will help us to increase awareness of the fact that tobacco is a major health threat, encourage smokers to quit and discour age youth from initiating smoking. It will also promote awareness of the fact that smoking is banned in Nuevo León’s public places, in compliance with national smokefree laws introduced in 2014. In conjunction with other tobacco control measures, this will reduce smoking prevalence and decrease the number of citizens exposed to secondhand smoke in Nuevo León, bringing health and economic benefits to our people.”
Sandra Mullin, Senior Vice President, Policy, Advocacy and Communication, World Lung Foundation, added: “We recognize the government of Nuevo León for being one of only 11 Mexican states to have introduced comprehensive smokefree laws and are delighted to have supported the administration in running this campaign. For decades, the tobacco industry used mass media to mislead consumers, presenting smoking as an attractive, socially desirable behavior and denying the deadly harm it causes to smokers and non-smokers. This campaign uses mass and social media to tell smokers the truth about smoking and exposure to SHS. It’s a proven, positive and cost-effective strategy that will help to change opinions and effect behavior change, ultimately saving thousands of lives.”
The burden of tobacco use in Nuevo León
According to Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones (ENA – The Mexican National Survey of Addictions) 2008, 26.5 percent of people in Nuevo León smoke cigarettes, including 37.7 percent of men and 15.5 percent of women. This is higher than the average smoking prevalence for the whole of Mexico. In addition, 18.7 percent of 13 to 15 year olds say they smoke cigarettes. Around 93,000 smokers in Nuevo León smoke their first cigarette of the day within half an hour of waking up – which research suggests increases the risk of lung and oral cancer.
A higher proportion of citizens in Nuevo León report being exposed to secondhand smoke (27.4 percent) than is the average across Mexico (23.3 percent) (ENA, 2008). According to The Tobacco Atlas, SHS increases the risks of contracting lung cancer by 30 percent (small cell lung cancer by 300 percent) and coronary heart disease by 25 percent. Exposure to SHS killed more than 600,000 non-smokers globally in 2010 from causes of death including ischemic heart disease, lower respiratory infections, asthma, and lung cancers. High levels of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke are reflected in the burden of premature death in Nuevo León, where seven (7) people die every day from smoking-related disease, according to analysis from Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública (the National Public Health Institute). Smoking is also an economic burden to the State, with healthcare for smoking-related disease costing 324.9 million pesos.
Research has shown that mass media campaigns are among the most effective means to encourage people to stop using tobacco. Hard-hitting campaigns and images can compel tobacco users to quit, increase knowledge of the health risks of tobacco use, and promote behavior change in both smokers and non-smokers. It is featured in 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.
The “Stop smoking, Nuevo León” PSA and stills and the transcript from the PSA are available upon request.