Mission: To make health a top priority for everyone in Northern Ireland.

Objectives:

• To demonstrate the short-term negative effects of continued smoking.
• To challenge some of the misinterpretations young people may have about smoking.
• To highlight the benefits of not smoking.

Background:
Smoking is the largest preventable cause of ill health and premature death contributing to lung cancer, heart disease, bronchitis, asthma and many other diseases. In December 1998 the Government published Smoking kills, A white paper on tobacco which set out a comprehensive plan of action for reducing smoking in the UK. One of the objectives of the paper was to reduce smoking among children and young people under the age of 16.

The DHSS commissioned the Agency to develop and implement a programme of public information to support the White Paper. The first phase of the programme focused on the under 16 age group, specifically 12-14 year olds. This age group was chosen because studies had shown that smoking rates peak between the ages of 12 and 14.

The campaign:
The campaign slogan 'Up2You' acknowledged that it was the responsibility of young people themselves to decide whether or not to smoke. The campaign included television, radio and cinema advertising supported by a helpline for young people.

The development of the television advertisement was guided by research with young people. This indicated that illness caused by smoking was not perceived by young people as relevant. It concluded that it was more important to make them aware of the immediate short-term effects of smoking. The campaign therefore focused on effects such as addiction, the financial impact of smoking, the smell on breath and clothes and the impact on ability to participate in sports.

The campaign included a 12-page teen style magazine Up2You that was distributed to second and third form pupils. The magazine contained facts on smoking, features on self-esteem, competitions, quizzes and entertainment features suggesting ways young people could spend their money other than smoking. A website was developed to support the campaign:
www.up-2-you.net

Phase 2 of the campaign was launched in March 2001. Following evaluation of phase 1 the website was redesigned and the original television advertisement revised and extended to promote the website. The website was also promoted via postcards inserted in popular teen magazines and mousemats distributed to the IT departments in schools. A second issue of the Up2You magazine was produced and once again distributed to second and third form pupils. The Up2You website continues to be updated regularly Click here to read more on how the Up-2-You website has been developed.

Evaluation:
A qualitative evaluation of phase 1 of the campaign was carried out in May 2000. It involved interviewing 332 12-13 year olds to explore awareness of the campaign and what messages they perceived.

The survey found that there was highest awareness of the television advertisement, followed by the magazine and a low level of awareness for the website. Generally there was a very positive response to the style and content of the campaign elements. The low awareness of the website was attributed to lack of promotion.

In terms of the campaign messages the evaluation concluded that there had been a shift in thinking among the age group pre- and post- campaign, with the young people more aware of issues such as addiction, cost, anti-social aspect and anti-sport aspect after exposure to the campaign.