The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #72624

Tess Cruz, PhD, MPH and Parasto Jouharzadeh, MPH. Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1000 South Fremont Ave, Unit 8, Room 4209, Alhambra, CA 91803, 626-457-6647, tesscruz@usc.edu

Professional and intercollegiate rodeos are supported in part by the contributions of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Corporation. The Tobacco Industry Monitoring Evaluation – The TIME Project – has been monitoring all tobacco-sponsored events, including rodeos and racing, in California since 1996 with pre-event calls to all organizers and observations at events. Data will be presented on the marketing strategies and trends at the 58 rodeos held in urban and rural parts of California each year, and the corresponding rodeo events featured on prime-time television. These observations document a shift, since the Global Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), from spit tobacco brand sponsorship to corporate sponsorship. Despite this shift, most marketing strategies have continued or expanded, allowing the tobacco corporate name to become increasingly identified with its spit tobacco brand products. These strategies include electronic scoreboards with the tobacco corporation’s name, naming of bucking bulls and broncos after spit tobacco, free tobacco sample and coupon booths or “adult only facilities” that are becoming increasingly entertaining, advertisements in rodeo programs, arena banners, bar and fraternity parties near the rodeos, and support at the national level to increase the rodeo coverage on prime-time television. On-site observations have documented many possible violations of the MSA. Specific investigation and observation tools will be described so these methods can be adopted by health departments, tobacco advocacy groups, colleges and states attorneys general to curb the encroachment of tobacco into competitive sports and to make tobacco sponsorship an increasingly uncomfortable option for event organizers.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe 5 current marketing strategies used to promote tobacco at sporting events.
• Identify two ways to involve coalitions and students in countering tobacco sponsorship.
• List steps to document and report to the State Attorney General common violations of the Master Settlement Agreement.

Keywords: Tobacco Industry, Tobacco Settlement

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.