Dear Educator:


Each day, more than 3,000 youth in America start smoking. Few of them believe this is a long-term choice. Unfortunately, 75% of these young people will still be smoking 8 years after they light their first cigarette. Most smoking begins between the ages of eleven and fourteen, a time in a young person's life that is full of experimentation and the desire to look and feel older.

Why is smoking so popular among youth? There are many factors influencing a young person's decision to smoke. Of particular concern in recent years has been the dramatic increase of tobacco use in popular movies.

Young people are frequent moviegoers. When they see their favorite actors lighting up a movie, research has shown that young people will imitate them. Movies often portray smoking as "glamorous" and "cool," yet don't show the deadly health risks of smoking such as lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease.

Parents and teachers cannot always monitor what young people are watching, but they can teach them media literacy - the ability to question what they are watching - to distinguish between fact and opinion, news and entertainment, and the accuracy of information.

This "Smoke Screeners" educational program will help you teach media literacy skills to young people. It can be used in a classroom or youth group setting. With your help, our youth can become expert Smoke Screeners, inoculated against glamorized smoking in the movies and on TV, and ready to make healthy choices when it comes to using tobacco.

Sincerely yours,

Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH
Commissioner
Massachusetts Department of Public Health

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