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

Abstract #66429

Wendy Santis, MS¹, Scott G. Pulizzi, MA¹, Cheryl J Vince Whitman, EdM¹, and Leanne Riley, MSc². (1) Health and Human Development Programs, Education Development Center, Inc., 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02458, 617-618-2427, wsantis@edc.org, (2) Tobacco Free Initiative, WHO, Avenue Appia, CH1211 Geneva 27, Geneva, Switzerland

The World Health Organization (HQ/Geneva) and Health and Human Development Programs, a division of Education Development Center (EDC), encourage youth to support the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The goal of the FCTC is to help tobacco control by a) improving transnational cooperation and b) strengthening national legislation and action so that each individual nation meets its obligation agreed to in the convention. With this intervention, we want to provide educators and youth with the tools and the opportunity to become effective advocates for tobacco control at the neighborhood/community, national and global levels by supporting the FCTC.

Using advocacy exercises focused on critical thinking, persuasion, communication, action planning, leadership; media literacy; data analysis; and policy development, EDC and WHO work together to make the link between local and global tobacco control. For the framework to have relevance globally, young people can recognize tobacco influence in their own environment; through advertising and sponsorship. Young people can learn how to advocate for change in their neighborhood, e.g. banning environmental tobacco smoke, banning tobacco sales to minors and eliminating billboards near schools, and that these lessons can be applied globally.

For FCTC to be an effective instrument for global tobacco control there needs to be a broad base of support at the community, national and global levels. Activities and exercises designed for youth to create environmental change, such as the ones in this intervention, can advance global tobacco control and need to get into the hands of more teachers/educators.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to discuss the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) as it applies to school-age youth.
• Participants will be able to describe how the FCTC can be an effective instrument for local as well as global tobacco control.
• Participants will be able to list specific advocacy activities that can be used with young people to make the connection between local and global tobacco control.

Keywords: Tobacco Control, Youth

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.