|
Every cigarette
is doing you damage
A
new graphic and hard-hitting anti-smoking campaign was launched
today at the Health Promotion Agency by Dr Henrietta Campbell,
the Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, as part of
a drive to reduce almost 3,000 premature deaths caused by
smoking each year.
The
campaign, 'Every cigarette
is doing you damage', breaks new ground with a television
advertisement showing in graphic detail the damage caused
by smoking. The advertisement emphasises that every single
cigarette damages health because medical evidence shows that
health damage leading to serious disease starts immediately
a person begins to smoke.
Dr
Campbell said: "I very much welcome this latest phase of the
public information campaign on smoking, which kills around
3,000 people in Northern Ireland each year. I would urge smokers
to think about the damage that cigarettes are doing to their
health and to make use of the services available to help them
quit."
Speaking
during the launch Dr Brian Gaffney, Chief Executive of the
Health Promotion Agency, said: "We have adapted an advertisement
from a successful Australian campaign. It takes the smoker
on a journey into the body to show how cigarette smoke damages
the arteries which in turn can lead to heart disease. Smoking
cigarettes makes the artery walls sticky, collecting dangerous
fatty deposits that build up and narrow the arteries in the
body. The images used in the advertisement are graphic and
realistic, and will confront, challenge and perhaps shock
smokers."
Qualitative
research conducted in Northern Ireland by the Health Promotion
Agency showed that there was a real need to show smokers the
link between smoking and the effect it has on their health.
The research indicated that while most smokers know about
the link between smoking and lung cancer they have little
knowledge about the link between smoking and heart disease,
stroke and other cancers. The artery advertisement at the
centre of the campaign has been produced to highlight in particular
the link between smoking and heart disease.
Dr
Gaffney also stressed the importance of using mass media as
a tool to address smoking. "One of the most effective things
we can do in convincing smokers to quit is to make sure they
can't escape the messages. However, there is support available
for all those motivated to give up for good.
"A
freephone helpline for smokers has been established as part
of this campaign. It will provide help and advice to smokers
who call and will also be able to refer smokers to local cessation
services. The helpline number 0800 858585 will be promoted
in two television advertisements developed to support smokers
in their quest to give up", he said.
Printed
materials have also been produced as part of this campaign
and will be distributed to GP surgeries, pharmacies and dentists.
One million beer
mats promoting the smokers' helpline number are being
distributed to pubs and clubs throughout Northern Ireland
by Bass Ireland. The television advertising starts today and
will run until 31 March 2002.
END
Notes
to the editor: Inpatient
care linked to smoking in Northern Ireland costs £22 million
per year and one million working days are lost each year as
a result of smoking.
The
television advertising has been adapted from the Australian
National Tobacco Campaign developed by the Commonwealth Department
of Health and Aged Care, Australia and has proven to be effective
in reducing rates of smoking.
For
those who have made a commitment to giving up there are a
number of smoking cessation services available in Northern
Ireland through Health and Social Services, Boards and Trusts
and the Ulster Cancer
Foundation. Support and advice for smokers wanting to
stop can also be provided by GPs and pharmacists.
|
