Statewide multiplatform campaign features hard-hitting ads
showing teens and young adults the harmful health effects of
vaping.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 17,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On June
17, 2024, THE FACTS NOW launched Behind The Screen,
its new statewide initiative focusing on educating youth and young
adults about the health risks associated with electronic cigarette
(e-cigarette) use, or vaping.
Serving as the youth education, awareness and prevention
campaign of the Florida Department of Health's Bureau of Tobacco
Free Florida, THE FACTS NOW is designed to combat misinformation
and the glamorization of e-cigarette devices among Florida's youth and young adults in the styles
and platforms where they are most effectively reached – across
social media.
Currently, the majority of portrayals of e-cigarette use in
social media are positive, presenting young people using
e-cigarettes through positive, upbeat imagery.1 Health
warnings, including toxicity and risk of nicotine addiction, are
rarely shown.2
Behind The Screen is designed to counter the
influence of these portrayals with videos that take common positive
social media e-cigarette content and contrast it with the stark,
deglamorized reality of the serious, harmful health effects
associated with vaping.
The campaign will be seen in all 67 counties throughout
Florida, with an annual reach of
89% among youth and young adults. Keeping a sustained drumbeat, the
campaign will have hundreds of millions of interactions over time,
with the goal of shaping outlooks and ultimately encouraging vaping
prevention and cessation.
"Vaping by our middle and high schoolers across Florida has come down from its recent meteoric
rise, in large part due to sustained education and awareness much
like this new initiative," said Laura
Corbin, Bureau Chief for Tobacco Free Florida.
"Continuing these concerted efforts to reach young Floridians where
they get information and cultural input – which we know more than
ever is through their phones and devices – can help keep them
informed of the dangers of vaping and protect their health in the
long run."
Behind The Screen will show five unique aspects of
teen and young adult life with the goal of connecting with
different audiences with different interests. The advertisements
will include:
- "Behind The Ball" – a confident athlete's vaping habit affects
him on the basketball court.
- "Behind The Fit Check" – a bubbly teen loses her composure when
her vape stops working.
- "Behind The Game" – an upbeat gamer's livestream comes to an
abrupt end as a result of his nicotine addiction.
- "Behind The Night" – a vape user's nighttime routine turns into
a sleepless night.
- "Behind The Road Trip" – a casual car ride ruined by nicotine
addiction.
Behind The Screen will run statewide and in every
Florida media market, kicking off
with "Behind The Road Trip" and "Behind The Ball," followed by the
remaining content premiering later this year. THE FACTS NOW is
distributing the segments across platforms, such as Snapchat,
Instagram and Facebook. Behind The Screen content will
also appear across various platforms such as television
commercials, streaming platforms and more.
Public health campaigns like THE FACTS NOW are critical to
educating Floridians about the health risks associated with
e-cigarettes, especially youth, because of the significant
advertising commitment by the tobacco industry. In 2021, the
largest e-cigarette manufacturers spent over $859.4 million on e-cigarette advertising,
including $1.5 million on their
company-controlled social media accounts.3
E-cigarettes are the most commonly used nicotine delivery system
among Florida youth and young
adults.4 In 2023, 12.5% of Florida high school students reported
e-cigarette use.5 E-cigarettes typically contain
nicotine, which is highly addictive.6
Youth and young adults may be more sensitive to nicotine and
feel dependent on nicotine sooner than adults.7,8,9 The
brain continues to develop until about age 25 and the developing
brain is more vulnerable to nicotine's effects, including reduced
impulse control, deficits in attention and cognition, and mood
disorders.10 Evidence suggests that teens who use
e-cigarettes may be at greater risk of starting to smoke regular
cigarettes.11
Behind The Screen can help youth and young adults
understand the health consequences and risks of using these
devices. These campaign videos are available on YouTube.
About Tobacco Free Florida
The Florida Department of
Health's Tobacco Free Florida campaign is a statewide cessation and
prevention campaign funded by Florida's tobacco settlement fund. Since the
program began in 2007, more than 295,000 Floridians have
successfully quit using one of Tobacco Free Florida's free tools
and services. There are now approximately 451,000 fewer adult
smokers in Florida than there were
10 years ago, and the state has saved $17.7
billion in health care costs. To learn more about Tobacco
Free Florida's Quit Your Way services, visit TobaccoFreeFlorida.com
or follow the campaign on Facebook at
Facebook.com/TobaccoFreeFlorida or on X (formerly Twitter) at
Twitter.com/tobaccofreefla.
About THE FACTS NOW
THE FACTS NOW
is a statewide youth-focused tobacco control campaign under Tobacco
Free Florida designed to educate about the health-related issues
with using tobacco and nicotine products. Since the launch in 2015,
the campaign focuses on delivering information, clarifying facts,
and debunking misconceptions around the tobacco industry on
platforms that reach youth and young adult audiences. To learn more
about THE FACTS NOW, visit THEFACTSNOW.com or follow the campaign
across all social platforms.
1 Smith, M.J., Buckton, C., Patterson, C. et
al. User-generated content and influencer marketing involving
e-cigarettes on social media: a scoping review and content analysis
of YouTube and Instagram. BMC Public Health 23, 530
(2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15389-1
2 Smith, M.J., Buckton, C., Patterson, C. et al.
User-generated content and influencer marketing involving
e-cigarettes on social media: a scoping review and content analysis
of YouTube and Instagram. BMC Public Health 23, 530
(2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15389-1
3 Federal Trade Commission. (2024). E-cigarette report
for 2021.
4 Florida Department of Health. Florida Youth
Tobacco Survey. 2023. Accessed January 11,
2024
5 Florida Department of Health. Florida Youth Tobacco
Survey. 2023. Accessed January 11,
2024
6 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults. A Report of the
Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health,
2016.
7 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults. A Report of the
Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health,
2016.
8 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The
Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress. A Report of
the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health,
2014. Printed with corrections, January
2014.
9 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of
the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health,
2012.
10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults. A Report of the
Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking
and Health, 2016.
11 Berry KM, Fetterman JL, Benjamin EJ, et al.
Association of Electronic Cigarette Use With Subsequent Initiation
of Tobacco Cigarettes in US Youths. JAMA Netw Open.
2019;2(2):e187794. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.7794
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SOURCE Tobacco Free Florida