Tobacco Advertising Hooks Children – Ban Called For

New data released today by the British Medical Association shows that tobacco advertising hooks children aged 11-14 to smoking in far greater numbers than adults.

The data compares the top ten brands advertised with those smoked by children and adults, and shows that three out of four of the most heavily advertised brands also figure in the top four brands smoked by 11-14 year olds. Adults are more influenced by price, buying cheaper brands such as Raffles, Berkeley and Dorchester. The top four brands smoked by children account for 77% of total tobacco advertising – this is an increase of 9% on figures from 1992.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, Head of Health policy at the BMA commented, “this is conclusive evidence that tobacco advertising persuades children to smoke and scuppers any argument from the tobacco industry that advertising is about brand loyalty. With teenage smoking above 10% for the first time in 12 years, and smoking on the increase, the need for a tobacco advertising ban has never been greater”. “the naked promotion of tobacco through sports events televised by the BBC – such as Formula One Grand Prix racing, snooker and cricket – is of particular concern and we hope the BBC will respond to these figures by reconsidering their position on televising such events.”

Source: BMA 0171 387 4499