Grant Awarded to Help Kids Understand the Dangers of Tobacco Use

Source from:  thetowntalk.com 08/14/2007

Volunteers of America of North Louisiana has received a $25,000 community partnership grant from The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living to launch MediaSharp. MediaSharp is a youth prevention initiative that brings attention to tobacco industry tactics to recruit young smokers through deceptive advertising and promotion, according to a news release by Tricia Brown with Volunteers of America Family Resource Center. Through the Family Resource Center's after school program, students across central Louisiana will participate in the MediaSharp program, the release states. "The TFL community partnership grant will allow Volunteers of America to reach students with information that can influence their choice not to smoke or to quit" states Brenda Willson, Family Resource Center Program Director. "MediaSharp will help kids recognize how media disguises the message about tobacco and makes it appealing to teens." Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, the release states. According to the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL), 25 percent of Louisiana high school students smoke. Each year, approximately 6,900 children in Louisiana become new daily smokers, one-third of which will die prematurely from smoking, the release states, and more that 6,400 Louisianans die annually from smoking-attributable deaths. Tobacco companies need to recruit 19 young smokers each day in Louisiana to replace those that die annually from tobacco-related diseases, the release states. One of the tobacco industry's latest tactics is to market real cigarettes with candy and fruit flavors that are likely to appeal to kids, the release states. R. J. Reynolds, for example, has marketed its Camel cigarettes in flavors such as Warm Winter Toffee, Winter Mocha Mint, Kauai Kolada (pineapple and coconut) and Twista Lime, the release states. "Preventing young people from starting to use tobacco in the first place is ultimately the most effective way to reduce death and disease caused by tobacco use," states Willson. "Our goal is to change the way young people look at tobacco and help them understand how tobacco can impact their health and the health of others. There's nothing glamorous or cool about bad breath, stained teeth, and a hacking cough and the health implications are tragic." To learn more about the MediaSharp program, call Volunteers of America Family Resource Center at (318) 442-8026. The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living provides state wide coordination of the existing tobacco control initiatives, funds innovative community programs for tobacco control, and develops statewide media campaigns to help reduce the excessive burden of tobacco use on the state's resources and improve the overall health and quality of life. TFL also funds the Louisiana Tobacco Quitline, 1(800) QUIT-NOW. For more information on creating a smoke-free environment where you live, work and play, visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org. For help quitting call 1(800) QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). Volunteers of America Family Resource Center is a division of Volunteers of America of North Louisiana Central Region and is a private nonprofit human services organization. Volunteers of America has been in central Louisiana since 1986 and offers many programs, the release states. Enditem