Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #113237

Peter Yendall, Communications, Health Canada, 123 Slater St. 6th floor, Rm B636, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada, 613-946-8107, peter_yendall@hc-sc.gc.ca and Carol Sutherland-Brown, Tobacco Control Programme, Health Canada, 123 Slater St. 6th floor, Rm C667, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada.

In 2001, the Government of Canada launched the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy (FTCS) of which there are four mutually reinforcing components: protection, prevention, cessation and harm reduction. A major objective of this strategy is reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).

Health Canada's ETS strategy involved a series of integrated national social marketing campaigns designed to inform specific audiences of the health effects of ETS and what they could do to protect themselves and others from it. These campaigns focused on ETS in the home, workplace, and youth.

This presentation will highlight the ‘home' campaign.

Public opinion research conducted on behalf of Health Canada showed that almost nine in ten parents who smoke are aware of the damaging effects of environmental tobacco smoke. While it is clear that most parents are aware of the dangers of ETS, there still exists many misconceptions as to how to effectively protect children from exposure.

In order to reduce the amount of environmental tobacco smoke in their home, or to reduce its impact on others, the majority of parents open a window, smoke in another room, or use a fan. These methods are entirely ineffective.

Health Canada's social marketing campaign has sought to have parents take action on reducing or eliminating their children's exposure to ETS. The campaign consisted of two television advertisements, a booklet for parents on making their home smoke-free and an information piece sent to parents in a targeted mailout to over one million homes.

Learning Objectives:

• * Learn how Health Canada’s social marketing campaigns adapt as the target audience is ready to move from an awareness stage to action
• * Recognize how research played a major role in the campaign
• * Identify successful ways to reach a specific target audience

Keywords: Tobacco, Child Health

Related Web page: www.gosmokefree.ca

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.