FDA ‘s Anti-Smoking Campaign Targets Teens

The Food and Drug Administration, FDA, will launch the biggest anti-tobacco campaign Feb. 11, targeted at bringing down smoking among teens.

The $115 million media campaign is the first-of -its kind aimed at cutting the smoking habit of 10 million American teens aged 12 to 17 by at least 300,000 within three years. The campaign named 'The Real Cost' on youth targets youth who are open to smoking or are already regular smokers. The ads are created by DraftFCB, an award winning advertising agency, and will appear in print, television, radio, billboards at prominent places and many social media sites.

The campaign is an educational effort that stems from the FDA's authority to regulate tobacco under a 2009 law. The cost of the entire campaign is funded with the fees paid to the FDA by the tobacco industry under Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009.

 It addresses teenage issues linked to poverty, violence, family pressure and also focuses on rural youths, Native Americans, gay and bisexuals who use smoking as a temporary coping mechanism. The ads address the dangers of tobacco smoking and its consequences in a way that appeals to youth.

One of the videos features a young girl trying to buy cigarettes at a store and the clerk tells her the money she paid is insufficient. The girl scrapes out a part from her face and hand, revealing damaged and wrinkled skin, then hands her youthful skin to the clerk. A similar ad shows a young boy pulling off his teeth using a wrench to buy a packet of menthol cigarettes.

 Mitch Zeller, the  director for FDA's center for tobacco products  said in the press statement , "These ads are based on the study that show teens are often more worried about their appearance today than their long-term risks of cancer."

Nearly 32,000 people under the age of 18 try their first cigarettes each day and 700 become life-long smokers reports FDA. Margret Hamburg, commissioner, FDA said, "Ninety percent of adult smokers start smoking before the age of 18, which is why early intervention is so critical."

To measure the effectiveness of the campaign and changes in the attitude towards smoking, the FDA plans to observe 8,000 young people for two years.