The National Institutes of Health Publication 07-6242, The Role of the Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use, NCI Tobacco Control Monograph 19, (the 19th of the Tobacco Control Monograph series of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) provides a critical, scientific review and synthesis of current evidence regarding the power of the media both to encourage and discourage tobacco use. The work presented is the most current and comprehensive distillation of the scientific literature on media communications in tobacco promotion and tobacco control. The six main parts of this monograph deal with aspects of media communications relevant to tobacco promotion and tobacco control. Part 1, an overview, frames the rationale for the monograph's organization and presents the key issues and conclusions of the research as a whole and of the individual chapters. This section describes media research theories that guided this assessment of the relationship between media and tobacco use, which can be viewed as a multilevel issue ranging from consumer-level advertising and promotion to stakeholder-level marketing aimed toward retailers, policymakers, and others. Part 2 further explores tobacco marketing—the range of media interventions used by the tobacco industry to promote its products, such as brand advertising and promotion, as well as corporate sponsorship and advertising. This section also evaluates the evidence for the influence of tobacco marketing on smoking behavior and discusses regulatory and constitutional issues related to marketing restrictions. Part 3 explores how both the tobacco control community and the tobacco industry have used news and entertainment media to advocate their positions and how such coverage relates to tobacco use and tobacco policy change. The section also appraises evidence of the influence of tobacco use in movies on youth smoking initiation. Part 4 focuses on tobacco control media interventions and the strategies, themes, and communication designs intended to prevent tobacco use or encourage cessation, including opportunities for new media interventions. This section also synthesizes evidence on the effectiveness of mass media campaigns in reducing smoking. Part 5 discusses tobacco industry efforts to diminish media interventions by the tobacco control community and to use the media to oppose state tobacco control ballot initiatives and referenda. Finally, Part 6 examines possible future directions in the use of media to promote or to control tobacco use and summarizes research needs and opportunities. Key lessons from this volume can inform policymakers as well as scientists and practitioners. Most critical from a policy standpoint is the conclusion, supported by strong evidence, that both exposure to tobacco marketing and depictions of tobacco in movies promote smoking initiation. In the United States in 2005—the same year in which 2.7 million American adolescents aged 12 to 17 used cigarettes in the past month1 and 438,000 Americans died prematurely from diseases caused by tobacco use or secondhand smoke exposure2—the tobacco industry spent $13.5 billion (in 2006 dollars) on cigarette advertising and promotion,3 an average of $37 million per day. The tobacco industry continues to succeed in overcoming partial restrictions on tobacco marketing in the United States, and tobacco marketing remains pervasive and effective in promoting tobacco use. Efforts to curb the depiction of tobacco use in movies have increased in recent years, and the evidence reviewed here indicates that progress in this area could be expected to translate into lower rates of youth smoking initiation in the future. Strong evidence indicates that media campaigns can reduce tobacco use. This volume highlights the complexities of assessing the media's influence on tobacco-related attitudes and behavior. A vast range of research is reviewed.~

This book presents a counter-view, based on a survey of several thousand young persons and adults, probing attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and perceptions of risk associated with smoking. The authors agree that young smokers give little or no thought to health risks or the problems of addiction. The survey data contradicts the model of informed, rational choice and underscores the need for aggressive policies to counter tobacco firms' marketing and promotional efforts and to restrict youth access to tobacco.

Examines the ways in which legislation - whether involving comprehensive national laws or personal litigation against the tobacco industry - is being used to reduce tobacco use & promote the goal of a tobacco-free society. Drawing upon over 250 studies conducted throughout the world, the book concentrates on the many promising new legislative strategies that have developed within a climate of opinion that regards tobacco & sidestream smoke as toxic substances, gives priority to the non-smoker's rights, & rejects the industry's freedom to promote an addictive, lethal product. By describing & analysing recent legislation, the book also provides a heartening account of both the spread of legislation & the reasons for its increased strength & effectiveness. The ten chapters which constitute the core of the book are organized to reflect two main categories of smoking control measures: those leading to changes in the production, manufacture, promotion, & sale of tobacco, & those designed to achieve changes in practice among smokers. Issued at a time when several national governments are making quantum leaps forward in the legislative attack on tobacco use, the book should prove especially useful as both a source of encouragement & a practical guide to action.

Data suggest that exposure to secondhand smoke can result in heart disease in nonsmoking adults. Recently, progress has been made in reducing involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke through legislation banning smoking in workplaces, restaurants, and other public places. The effect of legislation to ban smoking and its effects on the cardiovascular health of nonsmoking adults, however, remains a question. Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects reviews available scientific literature to assess the relationship between secondhand smoke exposure and acute coronary events. The authors, experts in secondhand smoke exposure and toxicology, clinical cardiology, epidemiology, and statistics, find that there is about a 25 to 30 percent increase in the risk of coronary heart disease from exposure to secondhand smoke. Their findings agree with the 2006 Surgeon General's Report conclusion that there are increased risks of coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality among men and women exposed to secondhand smoke. However, the authors note that the evidence for determining the magnitude of the relationship between chronic secondhand smoke exposure and coronary heart disease is not very strong. Public health professionals will rely upon Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects for its survey of critical epidemiological studies on the effects of smoking bans and evidence of links between secondhand smoke exposure and cardiovascular events, as well as its findings and recommendations.

The second report from the U.S. Surgeon General devoted to women and smoking. Includes executive summary, chapter conclusions, full text chapters, and references.