Black History Month Make Smoking History Toolkit #MentholisNotYourFriend Instagram Contest February 2018

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Black History Month Make Smoking History Toolkit #MentholisNotYourFriend Instagram Contest February 2018"

Amanda Cox
5 years ago
Views:

1 Black History Month Make Smoking History Toolkit #MentholisNotYourFriend Instagram Contest February 2018 This February the N.C. Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch is partnering with Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!), the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network (NAATPN), and the Truth Initiative to provide Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and high school students with resources to promote quitting tobacco u se on your campus, with a focus on menthol cigarette use in the African American community. We invite you to educate your campus about how predatory marketing tactics for menthol cigarettes make tobacco use a social justice issue in the African American community. We are providing resources, tools and are hosting an Instagram Contest for North Carolina HBCUs, high school students and campus organizations. Show everyone that #MentholisNotYourFriend. Contest Details: Our #MentholisNotYourFriend Instragram Contest will happen throughout the month of February Your entry should show how menthol cigarettes affect your community and/or your campus through one of the following formats: Photograph Video or Gif Post your and use the hashtags #mentholisnotyourfriend #Yes4Change. Be sure to identify your College/University/High School. We have prizes! A panel of judges from the sponsoring organizations will select winners. Winners will receive: 1 st place School and entrant will be featured on sponsor websites and win free registration to NAATPN s Black Health Summit in Atlanta, GA, September 11-13, nd place YES! Prize Pack and $25 gift card 3 rd place YES! T-shirt and $25 gift card This toolkit includes the following: An informative background article for your student newspaper or newsletters; Public Service Announcements for your campus radio station and basketball games; Pre-written social media posts and images; and Links to important online information on African Americans and menthol use, which you can use any way you like on campus. Make Smoking History Toolkit Page 1

2 Toolkit materials are below. Please feel free to edit to suit your campus make them your own! For additional tobacco cessation materials or other assistance with promoting quitting tobacco use during Black History month, please to contact Ann Staples or ). Let s make it clear during Black History Month: #MentholIsNotYourFriend. Everyone knows that February is Black History Month, but many may not know that smoking tobacco products like cigarettes and cigars kills African Americans at a higher rate than tobacco users in the general population. Although a lower percentage of African Americans smoke than whites, and although blacks tend to smoke fewer cigarettes per day, African American smokers are more likely to develop life-threatening illnesses than white smokers, and are more likely to die from those diseases. Tobacco use kills 47,300 African-Americans each year, which is a death rate higher than that of the general population. Why? No one knows for sure, but some researchers suspect menthol cigarettes may be part of the reason. Menthol is a chemical compound extracted from the peppermint or corn mint plant. Due to the cooling effects on the mouth and throat, it reduces the harshness of cigarette smoke, making menthol popular with new smokers. Menthol in cigarettes is thought to make harmful chemicals more easily absorbed in the body, likely because menthol makes it easier to inhale cigarette smoke. Some research shows that menthol cigarettes may be more addictive than non-menthol cigarettes. This is important information for African American communities, because nearly nine of every 10 African Americans who smoke (12 years and older) prefer menthol cigarettes, while menthol only accounts for about 30 percent of the overall cigarette market. Menthol brands have historically been promoted most heavily in African American communities. This is still the case, as menthol brands are given more shelfspace and more promotion and even special pricing in stores in African American neighborhoods. In 2009 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of flavorings in cigarettes, but decided to exempt menthol, leaving many African American youth vulnerable to exploitative marketing and the potential health hazards of menthol cigarettes. At the same time youth who were attracted to other cigarette flavors are now protected. Tobacco use is a major contributor to the three leading causes of death among African Americans heart disease, cancer and stroke. Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death among African Americans. The risk of developing diabetes is percent higher for cigarette people who smoke compared to people who don t. The CDC s Tips from Former Smokers Campaign features a number of African Americans who have quit smoking after surviving tobacco-related illnesses. Meet them at this link: All of these survivors would like to see African Americans quit tobacco before they become ill. If you think you might be ready to quit in the next 30 days, call Quit-Now ( ) or enroll online at QuitlineNC provides free cessation services to any North Carolina resident who needs help quitting tobacco use. Quit Coaching is available in different forms, which can be used separately or together, to help any tobacco user give up tobacco. Make Smoking History Toolkit Page 2

Social Media Posts #Mentholisnotyourfriend. Let s #MakeSmokingHistory for #BlackHistoryMonth #1800QuitNowNC https://www.newsy.

3 Social Media Posts #Mentholisnotyourfriend. Let s #MakeSmokingHistory for #BlackHistoryMonth #1800QuitNowNC #Mentholisnotyourfriend. Let s #MakeSmokingHistory for #BlackHistoryMonth James reflects on becoming a non-smoker. Let s #MakeSmokingHistory for #BlackHistoryMonth #1800QuitNowNC Marie lost a lot to smoking before she quit. Let s #MakeSmokingHistory for #BlackHistoryMonth #1800QuitNowNC Roosevelt knows smoking can hurt you. Let s #MakeSmokingHistory for #BlackHistoryMonth #1800QuitNowNC Smoking hurts and takes black lives. Let s #MakeSmokingHistory for #BlackHistoryMonth #1800QuitNowNC Control the Let s #MakeSmokingHistory for #BlackHistoryMonth #1800QuitNowNC Tiffany quit smoking to be there for her daughter. Let s #MakeSmokingHistory for #BlackHistoryMonth #1800QuitNowNC Make Smoking History Toolkit Page 3

4 Make Smoking History Toolkit Page 4

5 Make Smoking History Toolkit Page 5

6 Resources and Facts: African Americans and Tobacco Use (CDC): Tobacco Use Among African Americans (Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids): Resource Page on Menthol (CounterTobacco): 4-Counter_Tobacco_2017_October&utm_medium= &utm_term=0_ b9a-acda6bb6c Menthol Get the Facts (NAATPN): Tobacco Company Marketing to African Americans (Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids): The Truth About Menthol (the truth initiative): Tobacco-Fact-Sheet.pdf Articles and Videos: The Atlantic: Mint that Kills: TheInfluence.com: The Strange History of Menthol Cigarettes: Truth initiative: How African American Leaders are Taking on Menthol: Newsy: Menthol cigarettes still a problem for African Americans: 15-Minute Video: Black Lives, Black Lungs: Truth initiative: Depression and Anxiety More Commonly Reported Among Young Adult Menthol tobacco Users: Make Smoking History Toolkit Page 6

7 Smoking Cessation Resources: QuitlineNC: Clear Pathways Tobacco Cessation Guide for African Americans: The Truth Initiative Schroeder Institute s This is Quitting App: Smoke-Free/Tobacco-Free Policies: Tobacco-free Colleges: Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!): Make Smoking History Toolkit Page 7

Menthol and the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee

Tobacco, Menthol and the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee 2010 CBC Spring Health Braintrust/NMQF 7 th Annual Leadership Meeting The Ritz Carlton Hotel Washington, DC April 20, 2009 NAATPN