YOUTH CAMPAIGN PROMOTES TOBACCO-FREE LIFESTYLE

Health Minister John Nilson today launched a youth anti-tobacco campaign that invites Saskatchewan students to celebrate a tobacco-free lifestyle by doing an anti-tobacco project at home, at school, or in the community.

The campaign, entitled "Young Spirits: Proud to be Tobacco Free," targets Saskatchewan youth in grades 5 to 9, in approximately 110 Saskatchewan schools, including all schools in northern Saskatchewan.

"Young Spirits encourages youth to think seriously about the health effects of tobacco use, and empowers them to make a healthy difference in their own lives and the lives of others," Nilson said.

The campaign includes radio ads in English, Cree and Dene produced and aired by Missinipi Broadcasting based in La Ronge. It also includes a school-based package of teacher resources and anti-tobacco project ideas for students and a poster, featuring students from Connaught School in Regina.

Anti-tobacco project ideas for students range from keeping a personal diary filled with ways to resist peer pressure and say no to tobacco, to organizing school speaking events or community displays with information about the health effects of tobacco use, and about the benefits of living tobacco-free.

"Young Spirits: Proud to be Tobacco Free" is a Saskatchewan Health partnership with the Government of Canada and Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation, with assistance from Saskatchewan Learning and the Keewatin Yatthe and Mamawetan Churchill River Regional Health Authorities. It is a three-year initiative that will cost approximately $100,000 per year, with 60 per cent of the funding provided through the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy (FTCS) mass media program. The FTCS is a comprehensive, integrated and sustained approach to tobacco control in Canada that aims to significantly reduce disease and death due to tobacco use.

In Saskatchewan, tobacco use among youth is a significant problem, particularly in the North, where smoking rates are higher than the national and provincial average. The Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS) results for the first half of 2002 indicate that Saskatchewan's youth smoking rate is 28 per cent, compared to the national average of 22 per cent.

"Smoking is a major contributing factor to a number of chronic diseases and deaths. We are particularly concerned about the number of young people who smoke and the impact on their health," Nilson said. "This campaign supports our efforts to prevent youth from smoking, and helps young people feel positive about choosing a healthy, tobacco-free lifestyle."

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For More Information, Contact:

Vanessa Gooliaff Beaupre Health Regina Phone: (306)787-4083