Education called key to snuffing smoking

When a promotion poster for an Australian concert featured Beyonce holding an old-fashioned cigarette holder, the R&B artist was flooded with 20,000 letters of protest from African-American youth.

And it wasn't just Beyonce. William S. Robinson, executive director of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network, said youth organizations sent letters to several people, including Beyonce's tour director, her father, even her hairdresser.

"We launched a full frontal attack," Robinson said of the poster, which didn't appear in the United States. "Our youth campaign asked her, 'Why do you need this?' We're still waiting for a response."

Speaking to Utah advocates for tobacco prevention, Robinson said his organization is taking steps to counteract the use of cigarettes in pop culture and in advertising — including ideas that counter tobacco use by turning "Cool" into "Fool" and "Camel" into "Cancer."

Friday's University of Utah symposium, "Beyond the Village; Uniting to Reduce Tobacco-Related Disparities," brought members of Utah's ethnic, tobacco and health networks together with national advocates. It's the first step in a partnership between the Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs and the Utah Department of Health.

One goal is to establish an Asian network in Utah where there are already groups focused on curbing tobacco use by youth in the Native American, Latino, African American and Pacific Islander communities, said Luz Robles, director of Ethnic Affairs.

Lena Dibble, media coordinator for the Health Department's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, said the agency is working to reduce health disparities, including tobacco use.

"Tobacco is one of the leading preventable causes of death in Utah," she said.

In Utah, blacks have the highest rate of tobacco use — 28.9 percent in the group smoke. That's followed by 18.5 percent of American Indians; 12.1 percent of Hispanics; 11.3 percent of white non-Hispanics;, 9.5 percent of Asians; and 8.8 percent of Native Hawaiians, according to Health Department data.

Dibble said key to prevention is advocacy among youths, since the overwhelming majority of smokers start before age 19.

While the tobacco industry can't legally market to children, those at the forum Friday said that some tobacco ads seem to target youth, particularly young women who have traditionally had lower smoking rates than men. That is coupled with ads aimed at appealing to the unique cultures of the nation's ethnic communities.