New anti-smoking campaign targets teenagers

A new anti-smoking campaign targeting Irish teenagers has been launched to coincide with World No Tobacco Day.

The campaign was jointly launched by EU health and consumer protection commissioner, Mr David Byrne and the Minister for Health, Mr Micheál Martin and is supported by the Irish Cancer Society.

The "feel free to say no" campaign was also timed to coincide with the World Cup and will run a series of television ads featuring top Irish and international soccer stars speaking out against smoking.

The belief is that football players act as role models for young people and strong anti-smoking messages from people like Damien Duff, Alan Kelly and Shay Given will support young people in their decision not to smoke.

The Irish Cancer Society believes that in highlighting the effect of smoking on smokers’ sporting ability the campaign will have a greater impact on young people.

Mr Martin said: "The years between 12 and 18 are crucial for the rejection or adoption of a smoking habit. According to recent findings of the World Health Organisation, the age of young people experimenting with tobacco is decreasing while the rate of young smokers is increasing in all EU member states."

He said: "This is an ideal campaign which complements our other initiatives such as the Nico campaign, to encourage young Irish people not to take up smoking."

Mr Byrne said: "To the young people I am saying, feel free to say no. Consider seriously the whole question of (smoking) and listen to voices of these football heroes."

"The tobacco industry has spent vast fortunes over the years on advertising campaigns to try and give a cool image to what is a dirty habit...(But) the tobacco-free lifestyle, that is the cool, modern lifestyle," he added.

Almost three in ten of the Irish adult population smoke and nearly 6,000 people will die in Ireland every year from smoking related diseases – ten times more than the number killed each year in road accidents.

Similar campaigns will be run across EU member states. The television spots will be shown on national television channels in all 15 EU member states, the sports channel Eurosport and the music channel MTV.