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ASH News and Events Bulletin - 16-31 August 2010

HEADLINES

EVENTS

  • Finland rolls out smoke-free flats

    Finnish smokers may soon find themselves out in the cold, as more and more landlords insist on non-smoking rental agreements. The first tobacco-free block of flats was completed in the city of Espoo in April, but plans for another 400 similar apartments are already underway.

    Anyone wishing to move into the new block will be required to sign a rental agreement that includes a no-smoking commitment, with residents agreeing to only indulge in the evil weed in outside areas designated by the landlord. As well as inside the building, smoking will also be forbidden in parking areas and on balconies, driveways and lawns.

    According to Helsingin Sanomat, the city’s rental company Espoonkruunu is considering introducing the clause in all new rental agreements, even for buildings where smoking is currently permitted.

    Espoonkruunu managing director Esa Eichhorn said it’s only a matter of time before smoke-free residencies become the norm. “This is the trend. We are gradually switching to completely smokeless [rental agreements],” Eichhorn said in the Helsingin Sanomat report. He added that such residencies have already been considered in Helsinki and Vantaa.

    An amendment by Finnish Parliament to the Tobacco Act plans to put an end to smoking in the country by forbidding brands from displaying their logos. A smoking ban is also in force in all public places and has recently been extended to include outdoor concerts and immediate areas around schools and day-care centres.
     

    Source: Ice News - 23 August 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/dBNR3O

  • Tobacco floats new products but relies on pricing

    The two largest U.S. tobacco companies -- Altria Group Inc and Reynolds American Inc -- have been expanding distribution of snus, a type of smokeless, spitless moist snuff tobacco popular in Scandinavian countries, as they look for products to sell to smokers trying to quit cigarettes.

    Snus has been a moderate hit since Swedish Match AB brought it to the United States 10 years ago, but pushing new products has not driven profits enough to shift tobacco companies' focus away from cigarettes.

    "(Tobacco companies) definitely see smokeless as a longterm piece of the business," said Morningstar analyst Phil Gorham. "But don't be fooled ... even though it's a growth category and cigarettes are in decline, it's still a small part of the overall business."

    Cigarette consumption in the United States shrinks more than 2 percent each year, according to Euromonitor International data, but companies such as Marlboro cigarette maker Altria, Camel maker Reynolds and Newport maker Lorillard Inc use price hikes to compensate.

    That was harder to do in the last year as Reynolds used promotions to try to grab market share, said Gorham, who follows tobacco companies at Morningstar.

    Gorham expects a 3 to 4 percent price increase from all three major players this fall.

    The price gap between premium brands such as Marlboro and Camel is smaller than in past years, said Stifel Nicolaus analyst Chris Growe. Because of that, he predicted increases of at least 5 cents a pack for premium brands later in the year.

    Still, focusing on cigarette prices does not prevent tobacco companies from trying to increase sales volume overall, which has led to the appearance of snus (rhymes with "loose") in convenience stores and gas stations.

    Swedish-style snus grew 122 percent by volume in the United States in 2007-08 and 28 percent in 2008-09, up from a small base, according to Euromonitor data.

    Stockholm-based Swedish Match reported U.S. consumption of General brand snus was four times higher in 2009 than in 2008.

    The overall smokeless tobacco category is growing by 6 to 7 percent a year, said Gorham, but compared with cigarettes, smokeless is tiny, and snus is even smaller.

    Smokeless in total represents about 2 percent of tobacco companies' revenue; snus makes up about 0.5 percent of moist snuff sales in the United States, according to Euromonitor data.

    Gorham said the role of smokeless products, and snus in particular, has been to allow cigarette makers to hang on to customers who want to quit smoking.

    Companies tie snus to leading cigarette brands, pitching it as a cheaper, safer alternative to smoking and offering coupons for snus on cigarette packs.

    Altria's Marlboro and Reynolds American's Camel brands have snus variants, and a partnership between Swedish Match and Philip Morris International Inc is being tested in South Africa. Some analysts expect Lorillard to enter the market soon.

    "That really targets the smoker that wants to quit and move on to something else," Gorham said. "I don't think the purpose is really to attract a new kind of customer, it's just to prolong the period of time over which they can keep taking cash from smokers who are trying to quit."

    Snus' penetration in the tobacco market is still limited. There is not much evidence of nonsmokers picking up snus, and tobacco companies have trouble selling to women and consumers with no history of smokeless use, said Euromonitor analyst Don Hedley.

    Snus is banned in most of the European Union due to World Health Organization fears that smokeless tobacco causes oral cancer.

    "It's a big barrier because, apart from the U.S., where there is a smokeless tradition, EU countries, with high cigarette prices, smoking bans and high health consciousness, would have the best potential," Hedley said in an email.

    Congress passed a law in 2009 that handed new regulatory powers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the marketing and production of tobacco products. The new law adds uncertainty to tobacco companies that are wondering what types of new products they may be allowed to launch in the future.

    The agency has tightened rules for cigarette advertising and is studying menthol cigarettes, prompting Lorillard to announce a nonmenthol version of its popular Newport brand.

    Public health experts have split over whether to promote smokeless products, battery-powered electronic cigarettes -- which allow the user to inhale nicotine in a vaporized solution -- and other noncigarette products as a step to quitting smoking, said John Banzhaf, executive director of Washington, D.C., nonprofit Action on Smoking and Health.

    "Do we lightly regulate and in effect encourage these other products to allow people to switch from smoking and remain forever on e-cigarettes or snus or whatever?" Banzhaf said.

    "If the philosophy in the FDA is that the public health can be served by encouraging the development of snus and other products, they can write regulations that do exactly that," he said.

    Source: CNN - 26 August 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/bZ2Ves

  • Interaction Between Nicotine and Ethanol Discovered

    Dr Najla Taslim, a Pakistani scientist working in the United States, has discovered a new and unique functional interaction between the two most widely consumed psychoactive substances, nicotine and ethanol.

    Her discoveries have revealed for the first time a neuromodulatory interaction between nicotine and ethanol that could be a potential factor in the trend towards co-abuse. The team of prominent scientists and researchers directing Dr Najla Taslim’s project included Drs. Ken Soderstrom, David Taylor and MS Dar.

    Dr Taslim discovered that the simultaneous administration of nicotine and ethanol to mice resulted in marked improvement of impairment of motor coordination mediated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and subtype agonists. She found that people have learnt from experience that if they smoke while drinking their judgment and motor abilities are less disrupted, while continuing to get the same high with alcohol. However, the lethal combination also doubles the ill effects associated with each drug.

    This new ground breaking finding provides valuable information, not only by exposing another aspect of the nicotine-ethanol relationship, but also by pointing out another potential cause for continued smoking in alcoholics. Her finding is critical since co-addiction of ethanol in alcoholic beverages and nicotine in the form of cigarette smoking is popular in many societies. The resultant co-abuse has raised serious health crises in the US by causing higher co-morbidity and co-mortality rates than those caused by either drug alone. Moreover, Dr Taslim’s work may also reveal new physiological targets for future therapeutic intervention for the treatment of ethanol-induced ataxia, which accounts for 40 per cent of railroad, boating, and aircraft accidents in the United States.

    Source: The Bioenergy Site - 09 August 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/bKDl7T

  • Impact of Spain's smokefree law

    Abstract

    Objective Given the limited evidence available about the effects of clean indoor air laws on smoking behaviour in the general population, the impact of national smoke-free workplace, bar and restaurant legislation, implemented on 1 January 2006, on smoking prevalence in Spain was assessed in this study.

    Methods Population-based trend analysis using estimates for 27 periods from the beginning of 2000 to the end of 2008-three periods per year. To calculate the period per cent change in smoking prevalence, the permutation test for joinpoint regression to detect significant changes was used.

    Results In men and women aged 15-24 years, the prevalence of smoking declined between the first period in 2000 and the third period in 2008, whereas in women aged 45-64 years, it increased by 1.7% per period. A declining trend was detected up to the first period in 2006 in men and women aged 25-44 years and in men aged 45-64 years, but between the beginning of 2006 and the end of 2008 the prevalence of smoking increased by 1.2%, 0.7% and 2.0% per period in men aged 25-44 years, in women aged 25-44 years and in men aged 45-64 years, respectively.

    Conclusions 3 years after a national smoke-free law was implemented, the trend in smoking prevalence in some population groups was unchanged; however, in others, the declining trend of previous years was reversed. The similarity of these findings to those observed in other countries suggests that clean indoor air laws, although effective in reducing exposure to second-hand smoke, may not achieve the secondary objective of reducing the prevalence of smoking in the population.

    Regidor E., Heterogeneous trend in smoking prevalence by sex and age group following the implementation of a national smoke-free law. Journal Epidemiol Community Health. 6 August 2010. [Epub ahead of print]
     

    Source: BMJ - 06 August 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/bKA4fn

  • Adolescent symptoms of depression & daily smoking

    Abstract

    Aims To examine the association of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms with daily smoking and nicotine dependence in young adulthood.

    Design A prospective cohort study of adolescent and young adult health (n = 1943). Teen assessments occurred at 6-monthly intervals, with two follow-up assessments in young adulthood (wave 7, 1998; wave 8, 2001–03).

    Setting Victoria, Australia.

    Participants Students who participated at least once during the first six (adolescent) waves of the cohort study.

    Measurements Adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Young adult tobacco use was defined as: daily use (6 or 7 days per week) and dependent use (≥4 on the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence).

    Findings Among adolescent ‘less than daily’ smokers, those with high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms had an increased risk of reporting nicotine dependence in young adulthood [odds ratio (OR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–9.1] compared to young adults who had low levels of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms, after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Similarly, in the adjusted model (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0–3.4), among adolescent ‘daily’ smokers, those with high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms had an almost two-fold increase in the odds of reporting nicotine dependence in young adulthood compared to young adults with low levels of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms.

    Conclusions Adolescent smokers with depression and anxiety symptoms are at increased risk for nicotine dependence into young adulthood. They warrant vigilance from primary care providers in relation to tobacco use well into adulthood.

    McKenzie, M. Association of adolescent symptoms of depression and anxiety with daily smoking and nicotine dependence in young adulthood: findings from a 10-year longitudinal study. Addiction. Volume 105, Issue 9, pages 1652–1659, September 2010
     

    Source: Ingenta Connect - 07 June 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/bqFvJ1

  • Second-hand smoke outdoors

    Abstract

    Issue addressed: There are moves to ban smoking in outdoor areas of pubs, restaurants and cafes. Some argue that this is unnecessary as exposure to second hand smoke (SHS) is minimal. The aim of this study was to determine potential exposure of patrons to SHS in outdoor areas of eating and drinking venues.

    Methods: Concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were measured in the alfresco areas of 28 cafes and pubs. Data were collected on the number of smokers present during sampling and factors that could influence PM2.5concentrations. PM2.5concentrations for periods with and without smokers were compared using paired and independent sample tests.

    Results: PM2.5 concentrations were significantly increased when there was at least one smoker compared to periods with no smoking (14.25 mug/m3 and 3.98 g/m3, respectively). There was evidence of a dose response increase with mean concentrations for none, one and two or more smokers of 3.98, 10.59and 17.00mug/m3, respectively. The differences remained significant after controlling for other factors. When two or more people were smoking, average PM2.5reached levels the US Environmental Protection Agency warns may put particularly sensitive people at risk of respiratory symptoms.

    Conclusions: Smoking increases PM2.5concentrations in outdoor areas to levels that are potentially hazardous to health.

    Stafford, J. Second hand smoke in alfresco areas. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. 2010 Aug;21(2):99-105.


     

    Source: Health Promotion - August 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/dkdbib

  • Rhematoid arthritis and smoking

    Abstract

    Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the chronic autoimmune disease with several opinions about its aetiology, has affected more than 50 million people in the world. The aim of this 2008 study was to investigate the association between smoking and RA in Hamedan, a western city of Iran.

    Methods: As a case-control study, information from 130 cases and 130 controls, matched for age and sex, were collected by questionnaire and analysed using SPSS (chi-square, phi and Cramer tests).

    Results: From 130 cases, 80 cases were females and the rest were males. Statistical analysis showed that smoking less or more than 10 cigarettes daily has a significant association with RA in both sexes, together or separately (p < .05). However, there is no significant association between duration of smoking cessation within 2 years or more, and RA in both sexes (p > .05). This means that cigarette cessation at any time can be useful in RA prevention.

    Conclusion: Considering previous global investigations on this topic and the results of our study, it seems that smoking even low numbers of cigarettes affects the presence of RA and it is never too late to give up smoking.

    Eftekharian, M-M. A Study of the Association Between Smoking and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Journal of Smoking Cessation. Volume: 5, Issue: 1, Page(s): 1-6. June 2010
     

    Source: Australian Academic Press - June 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/djtcFK

  • Health and philanthropy: the tobacco connection

    On June 14, the world's two richest men, Mexico's Carlos Slim Helú and the USA's Bill Gates, jointly announced that they would each contribute US$50 million to the Latam health project to increase vaccinations and improve child nutrition and natal health in central America. Slim already contributes reputedly $2·5 billion annually to his Instituto Carlos Slim de la Salud, which runs a large variety of health programmes in Latin America. The latest announcement will naturally attract widespread acclaim as an outstanding example of philanthropy. But it also invites important questions about consistency and competing interests.

    Any assessment of Slim's net contribution to public health must balance the impact of his philanthropic contributions as well as the indirect health consequences that flow from his wealth generation with a less appreciated source of his wealth. Descriptions of Slim's vast fortune generally concentrate on his telecommunications empire. Relatively little is mentioned about his long-standing majority ownership of the Mexican tobacco company Cigatam, which has since 2007 been 80% owned by Philip Morris. Slim's website acknowledges that Cigatam “turned out to be the first and most important because of its cash flow, providing the Group with sufficient liquidity to capitalize on available opportunities and thereby increase its acquisitions of big companies”. Nor is it as widely publicised that he has a continuing role as a non-executive director of the world's largest tobacco company, Philip Morris International (PMI).

    The company's shareholders doubtless expect him—like all directors—to make a major contribution to maximise investment returns and the company's bottom line. PMI's website notes that Slim serves on its finance, product innovation, and regulatory affairs committees. The purposes of these committees include to “monitor the financial condition of the Company, oversee the sources and use of cash flow, capital structure and resulting financial needs”, to “monitor and review the development of new product strategies, key legislative, regulatory and public policy issues and trends affecting the Company”, and to “anticipate, respond to, and challenge where appropriate, regulatory and fiscal proposals”. This must include responding to international efforts at tobacco control. It is inconceivable that Slim would not have known of the action Philip Morris is currently taking against Uruguay in the International Centre for the Settlement of Industrial Disputes objecting (among other things) to that nation's new requirement for large graphic health-warnings on cigarette packs.

    The tobacco industry has long suffered ethical bottom-feeder status with both the public and the corporate world. The Reputation Institute's 2010 report, which involved over 80 000 respondents in 32 countries, saw the tobacco industry ranked a distant last of 25 industries on “reputation”. Why? This is an industry whose products kill over 5·5 million people each year, on average 15 years earlier than normal life expectancy. It is an industry which has engineered the chemistry and design of its products to, as one infamous 1984 Philip Morris internal memorandum put it, “make it harder for existing smokers to leave the product”. It is an industry whose product is responsible for the inexorable rise of lung cancer, the world's leading cause of cancer death and a disease that was very uncommon before the mass production and marketing of cigarettes.

    Slim's massive contributions to Latin American health undoubtedly do much good. But the consequences of his continuing history of high-level regional and global involvement in the tobacco industry are hardly trivial in any assessment of his public health footprint.

    Source: The Lancet - 25 August 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/cR4ic2

  • China tobacco firms accused of targeting children

    Chinese tobacco companies are targeting women and children as potential smokers as the market in men has peaked, health experts said.

    Around 53 percent of Chinese men smoked, leading tobacco control activist Judith Mackay said, but only three percent of Chinese women.

    "Prevalence in men has peaked, but they are targeting women and children," she said at the World Cancer Congress in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. "That's where we need to be extremely vigilant."

    As the world's largest consumer and producer of tobacco with over 300 million smokers, health experts warned that tobacco firms in China were becoming more sophisticated in targeting their market.

    "Girls in China are getting more independent and they have more money to spend," Mackay said.

    Calls late on Thursday to China's National Tobacco Corp, the state-owned monopoly and the world's largest tobacco producer, were not answered.

    China's 1.3 billion population carries an enormous cancer burden. With one in every three cigarettes in the world smoked in China, the nation had 2.82 million new cancer cases and 1.96 million cancer deaths in 2008.

    Globally, there were 12.68 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths in 2008.

    Despite the massive health costs, experts say state-owned Chinese tobacco firms are skirting tobacco laws with tactics such as printing health warnings in English, rather than Chinese, and using very fine print.

    "The law mandates that the health warning should cover 30 percent of the face of the packaging in the front and the back," said Professor Yang Gonghuan, deputy general director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

    "But in actuality the words are very small. It's only a fine line."

    Source: Reuters News, 19 August 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/cQ4Had

  • Wales: Doctors condemn tobacco industry attempts to overturn legislation

    Doctor's leaders in Wales have condemned the tobacco industry for lobbying to overturn legislation which would ban point of sale displays of tobacco.

    They are calling on Welsh MPs to help protect the young by ensuring the legislation goes ahead.

    Regulations following the Health Act 2009 will remove displays of tobacco in shops and also prohibit the sale of tobacco from vending machines.

    Doctors believe that the regulations are vital and will help put an end to the loopholes that allows tobacco to be advertised to children.

    Although the regulations have already been passed, there are attempts supported by the tobacco industry to try and overturn them.

    Dr Richard Lewis, Welsh Secretary of the BMA said: 'It is crucial that displays at point of sale are prohibited. These displays normalise tobacco use, especially because the packs are placed next to everyday items.

    'Smoking remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the UK. Nearly one in four adults still smoke and many others continue to take up the habit. The vast majority of individuals start smoking before the age of 25.

    'Maintaining strong regulations will help to protect children and prevent them from starting to smoke.'

    A study has shown that adolescents become more aware of tobacco brands when cigarettes are on display, and that they are more likely to express an interest in trying named brands.

    Schoolchildren shown a cigarettes display at point of sale were more likely to perceive that it would be easy for them to buy cigarettes than those who were shown a till point with no cigarette display.

    Dr Lewis warned: 'To ensure that public health remains a priority it is crucial that these pieces of public health legislation that have already been passed will not be revoked.

    'The government needs to show leadership, to protect the health of today's children and tomorrow's adults.' 

    Source: Dentistry - 17 August 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/axJqwK

  • Smoking ban in cars carrying children backed by majority of public

    Three-quarters of Britons want smoking in cars carrying children to be banned, according to a poll commissioned by the UK Faculty of Public Health.

    The YouGov poll found 74% support for banning anyone from smoking in a car in which children are on board, with 10% against and 11% undecided. The faculty, which represents public health specialists in the NHS, academia and local government, said that although politicians may be concerned about legislating to curb behaviour in "private space", adherence to seatbelt laws shows people would accept it.

    "There's a wealth of medical and public backing for a ban on smoking in cars with children," said Rachael Jolley, the FPH's head of policy. "Attitudes to smoking have changed dramatically."

    Professor Mitch Blair from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said: "We strongly support the call to ban smoking in cars with children travelling in them to ensure that we protect their health. The public is sending out a strong message in this survey and the government should act on this."

    Inhaling secondhand smoke has been linked to chest infections, asthma and ear problems in children and sudden infant death syndrome, or cot death, he added.

    However, the government has made clear it will not be implementing any further restrictions on smoking and is considering not enforcing Labour's ban on the public display of cigarettes in shops.

    Large majorities of the public also favour other dramatic government moves to improve health, the poll found. Some 82% want the makers of alcoholic drinks to be compelled to list how many units and calories their products contain on the side of every can and bottle, while 78% favour all food manufacturers having to put traffic light-style labels on the packaging to tell people how much far, salt and sugar they contain.

    The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, is opposed to such labelling, which is used by some supermarkets. He said: "We need a more effective public health strategy which provides better information and support to the public with new national and local strategies to encourage changes in behaviour. This will reduce the drivers of ill health, including smoking, alcohol misuse, poor diet and lack of exercise."

    The Department of Health said: "Most people know about the dangers of passive smoking, particularly with regards to children. It is important parents take responsibility for their children's health."

    Source: The Guardian, 18 August 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/a1HSjt

  • Tobacco firms' use of YouTube probed

    The tobacco industry may be using websites such as YouTube to get around a ban on advertising cigarettes, a study says.

    Researchers in New Zealand studied the video-sharing site and found a number of pro-tobacco videos "consistent with indirect marketing activity by tobacco companies or their proxies".

    They say governments should consider regulating such content on the net.

    Tobacco companies have always denied using the net to promote cigarettes.

    "Tobacco companies stand to benefit greatly from the marketing potential of Web 2.0, without themselves being at significant risk of being implicated in violating any laws or advertising codes," the researchers wrote.

    Amanda Sandford, research manager at anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) said the study's findings were "disturbing but fairly typical of tobacco industry activity".

    "As soon as one avenue of promotion is closed, companies will seek out alternative means of promoting their product and will do anything to get round advertising restrictions," she told BBC News.

    "It indicates that their key audience is young people. There is a need for much stronger control over what appears on the internet."

    But Catherine Armstrong, a spokesperson for British American Tobacco, one of the firms studied in the report, said it was "not our policy to use social networking sites such as Facebook or YouTube to promote our tobacco product brands".

    "Not even the authors of this report claim we have done so," she said. "Using social media could breach local advertising laws and our own International Marketing Standards, which apply to our companies worldwide.

    "Our employees, agencies and service providers should never use social media to promote our tobacco brands."

    Several tobacco firms signed up to a voluntary agreement to restrict direct advertising on websites in 2002.

    YouTube said that it does not "accept any paid-for tobacco advertising anywhere in the world".

    The study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, focused on YouTube, the largest video-sharing site on the web. YouTube gets more than 1bn views a day.

    The researchers searched for five tobacco brands and analysed the first 20 pages of video clips containing any reference to the firms. The content studied had been uploaded by users.

    The authors analysed 163 clips, of which 20 appeared to be "very professionally made," they say.

    "It is disturbing to note that some of the pro-tobacco videos appeared to be of a professional standard, many followed similar themes within a brand and large numbers contained images or music that maybe copyrighted to tobacco companies but have not been removed," the researchers said.

    Firms who own copyright material posted on YouTube can request a video to be taken down. Users can aslo flag content to Google - the owners of YouTube - that they believe is "inappropriate".

    "YouTube is a community site with clear policies that prohibit inappropriate content," said a spokesperson for the site.

    "These policies don't allow any content that is illegal, as well as any material that depicts minors smoking. Our community understands the rules and polices the site for inappropriate material."


    Almost three-quarters of the content studied was classified as "pro-tobacco" with less than 4% classified as "anti-tobacco".

    The dominant brand on YouTube was Marlboro, they said.

    "The high presence of the Marlboro brand on YouTube could be because the Marlboro brand is being marketed more effectively than other brands and is therefore more popular, and/or because there is commercially driven placement of the videos on YouTube," the researchers wrote.

    Ken Garcia, spokesman for Marlboro-makers Philip Morris USA, said the firm did not "post cigarette brand marketing on YouTube".

    "We have communicated with YouTube in the past to ask them to remove YouTube material that we believe infringes on our intellectual property rights," he told BBC News.

    Google were unable to confirm if they had been contacted by Philip Morris USA.

    Most of the clips in the study contained images of people smoking branded tobacco products or images associated with the brand. Many also included the brand name in the title of the video.

    The content featured a large proportion of archive material as well as videos featuring celebrities, films, sport and music.

    "Videos featuring celebrities movies were mainly historic, and comprised videos from the 1950s and 1960s featuring The Flintstones, The Beverly Hillbillies or The Beatles," the researchers wrote.

    They said their findings suggest governments should extend "current tobacco advertising restrictions to include Web 2.0".

    "We can see no functional difference between exposure to tobacco in movies outside the internet, and exposure to video and film material on the internet," Dr George Thomson, one of the authors of the study told BBC News.

    "Generally, the more tobacco is normalised, the more kids will take it up."

    The study was conducted by Dr Thomson, with Lucy Elkin and Professor Nick Wilson of the University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.

    Source: BBC News - 26 Aug 2010
    Link: http://bbc.in/dD4PyV

Events

  • Personalisation and peer support – the mental health education and training agenda

    This conference – the 10th annual event of its kind – will explore the mental health education and training agenda for both personalisation and peer support. This will be done through:

    • Presentations on the key themes of personalisation and peer support

    • Workshops concentrating on examples of education and training initiatives in relation to personalisation and peer support.

    Date: 08 September 2010
    Venue: ORT House Conference Centre, London NW1
    Contact: www.pavpub.com/pavpub/conferences/showfull.asp?Conference=%20190

  • Health in Europe - Ready for the Future?

    Leading experts from business and industry, science and academia, patient organisations/NGOs as well as numerous prominent decision makers in health policy present new ideas and use the EHFG as a platform for the exchange of experiences and opinions at the international level.

    Date: 06 October 2010
    Venue: Gastein, Austria
    Contact: www.ehfg.org

  • Smoke Free Futures: Tobacco Control Conference 2010

    Smoke Free Futures is a two day tobacco control conference that asks what are the next steps we need to be taking to secure tobacco free futures for our children and how do we help the 70% of smokers who say they wish to quit more effectively in the here and now.

    Confirmed workshops and presentations at the Conference include:

    • No Smoking Day – Be the first to find out about NSD 2011
    • Young Tobacco Control Campaigners Tell their Stories
    • Understanding the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the Framework Convention Alliance
    • Evaluation of the Ireland Point of Sale Legislation
    • Development of a Tobacco Control Strategy for Wales

    Conference participants will have the opportunity to learn from the successes and challenges faced by successful tobacco control practitioners at this highly interactive conference.

    Date: 11 October 2010
    Venue: Mercure Holland House Hotel Cardiff, Wales
    Contact: www.smoking-conference-wales.org.uk

  • SCTRP Annual Update and Supervision Day

    The annual opportunity for SCTRP graduates to troubleshoot existing practice, update on research, and interact with over 100 practitioners.

    Tutors: P Hajek, R West, G Sutherland, H McRobbie and members of their teams.

    Cost: £235 (£200 plus VAT) Early Bird rate prior to course

    Availability: 100+

    Date: 03 December 2010
    Venue: Park Crescent Conference Centre, 229 Great Portland Street, London W1
    Contact: Janice Rossabi on +44 0208 347 0556 or sctrp@yahoo.co.uk

  • 5th European Conference on Tobacco or Health

     The conference programme will comprise three days of sessions. There are four main programme tracks:

    • Tobacco control policy measures;
    • Tobacco industry strategies and tactics
    • Tobacco treatment;
    • Health education & health communication.  
    Date: 28 March 2011
    Venue: Amsterdam
    Contact: www.ectoh.org