Break The Tobacco Marketing Net

Branded Merchandise

Close
  • The more tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship that young people see and hear, the more likely they are to become tobacco users.
  • Teenagers who own merchandise displaying cigarette names and logos are four times more likely to smoke than teenagers who do not - even among teens who say they have no intention to smoke.
  • Tobacco companies put their logos on t-shirts, hats, backpacks and other consumer items popular with young people and turn the wearers into walking billboards.
  • A tobacco branded item taken to school will be seen by many other children and become an effective means to promote tobacco to other youngsters.
  • Branded merchandise aimed at an 18 year old girl is also very likely to appeal to her younger siblings.
  • Most branded merchandise in the hands of children came from parents or adults friends.
  • One of the most effective ways countries can protect the health of their people, especially youth, is to ban all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

Links:
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/
http://www.smoke-fx.com/
http://ash.org.uk/

Lovato C, Linn G, Stead LF, Best A. Impact of tobacco advertising and promotion on increasing adolescent smoking behaviours. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2003, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD003439. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003439. http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab003439.html.

Biener, L., and M. Siegel. 2000. Tobacco Marketing and Adolescent Smoking: More Support for a Causal Inference. American Journal of Public Health 90(3):407–411.

Pierce, J.P.,W.S. Choi, E.A. Gilpin, A.J. Farkas, and C.C. Berry. 1998. Tobacco Industry Promotion of Cigarettes and Adolescent Smoking. Journal of the American Medical Association 279(7):511–515.

James D. Sargent, MD, et al., Cigarette Promotional Items in Public Schools. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. December 1997, pp. 1189-1196

The Framework Convention Alliance for Tobacco Control, fact sheet #9, http://www.fctc.org/index.php?item=factsheets

James D. Sargent, MD, et al., "Cigarette Promotional Items in Public Schools," Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. December 1997, pp. 1189-1196

Gerard Hastings, Abraham Brown and Kathryn Angus. "Youth Smoking: the Impact of Marketing and the Media", CRUK Center for Tobacco Control Research Stirling and the Open University. In press.

James D. Sargent, MD, et al., "Cigarette Promotional Items in Public Schools," Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. December 1997, pp. 1189-1196

WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008: The MPOWER Package

References