Smoke Screen 2

Community Consultation: Getting a Base-line Read on Smoking Trends Among Newcomer Youth in the Greater Vancouver Area

HOW and WHY this RESEARCH Came to Be:

There is currently very little research on smoking trends and awareness rates among immigrants and refugees in Canada in general, and specifically among youth in the Greater Vancouver Area (GVA). As such, this project began with a comprehensive community consultation process. More specifically, the first phase of this project saw 12 young immigrants and refugees coming to Galiano Island to gain the know-how to facilitate focus groups that would give us insight into the smoking attitudes, behaviours and awareness rates of newcomer youth in the greater Vancouver area. In the end almost 200 newcomer youth from 39 countries of origin participated in the focus groups and/or completed a related survey. The information gained through this process (summarized below) helped to ensure that the Through the Eyes of New Canadians media campaign would be culturally relevant and effective.

Research Highlights

Nearly 12% of the youth who participated in the survey reported smoking within the past month as compared with a 16% smoking prevalence rate for B.C. youth of the same age (Health Canada, 2004). Newcomer youth identified coping with stress, a desire to look cool, fit in, and appear more grown up as the primary reasons for smoking. When asked what could be done to reduce tobacco use among newcomer youth in Canada, the leading recommendation was to increase awareness of the dangers of smoking through educational materials and the development of more anti-smoking advertisements (42%).

Background of focus group and survey participants

Using posters, calling cards and word of mouth, the 12 focus group facilitators tapped into their familial, religious, school, cultural and work-based networks to recruit focus group participants. Focus groups were held at a wide range of locations in the lower Mainland including high schools, multicultural organizations and religious centers between May and July of 2005. A total of 194 newcomer youth participated in the project-based focus groups and surveys. The gender distribution of the youth was balanced (50.8% female; 49.2% male) and the mean age was 16 years old. Nearly a fifth of the youth were born in the Philippines (19.1%), followed by China (16.5%), Afghanistan (8.8%) and Columbia (6.7%). Participants immigrated to Canada from 39 different countries with 44.3% having lived in Canada between 1 and 3 years. 21.1% reported having been in Canada less than a year, 17.5% have resided in the country between 3 and 6 years and 17% for more than 6 years. Despite the fact that many of the youth have spent several years living in Canada, only 2 identified as “Canadian”. All other respondents identified an ethnicity congruent with their country of origin.

At the time the research was undertaken the majority of respondents were still in high school (73.1%). 15% had completed high school and 9.3% of respondents reported having completed some college/university. Nearly half of the youth said that they lived with both parents and (a) sibling(s). Some lived in lone parent households (7%) and others resided with parents, siblings and other family members (15.5%). Nearly 70% of youth reported that they are physically active often or all the time. Boys were significantly more active than girls. 61.7% of the survey respondents said that they were happy with their weight often or all the time. More boys than girls (40 versus 28) indicated that they were always happy with their weight. With respect to alcohol consumption, 61% said they haven’t had alcoholic beverages in the 6 months preceding the focus group/survey. 11% of youth reported drinking alcohol all the time or often.

Self-esteem was assessed with two survey items. 73.3% of youth reported feeling good about themselves often or all the time. 4.2% said they never feel good about themselves and 22.5% said they sometimes feel good about themselves. When asked whether the youth felt that they do things as well as most other people they know, 3.6% reported never feeling that way and 34.9% said that they sometimes feel that way. 20.8% always felt confident compared to the performance of others and 40.6% often did. Based on an analysis of both items, 18.5% of youth reported low self-esteem. Self-esteem was correlated with several variables. For instance youth who reported higher self-esteem also said that they were more active, were happier with their weight, socialized more often with friends from their ethnic/cultural group and felt more often accepted by people their age. 69.3% of youth socialized with friends from their ethnic/cultural group often or all the time and 74.5% felt accepted by people their age (often/all the time). One in four reported feeling accepted sometimes and only 1% never felt accepted.

Newcomer youth are influenced by the attitudes of their friends. 43.2% felt that it was important to do things that meet with their friend’s approval often or all the time. An even higher percentage (72.9%) reported that they felt it was important to do things that meet with their family’s approval often or all the time. These findings indicate that the attitudes and behaviours of newcomer youth are strongly influenced by family approval/disapproval.

Feelings of sadness and isolation are common during cross-cultural transitions. Many of the youth felt sad or isolated sometimes (64.2%), often (16.6%) or all the time (3.1%). The incidence of negative affect is thus quite high among newcomer youth. Youth who reported stronger feelings of sadness and isolation also missed family/friends from their home countries more often, felt more stressed, were unhappier with their weight, were older and more likely to be female.

The stress levels of newcomer youth were also assessed. 51.6% said they felt stressed sometimes and a third reported feeling stressed often or all the time. These finding are not surprising considering the stresses associated with resettlement. One aspect of resettlement concerns leaving behind family and friends. 67.7% of youth missed family and friends from their home country often or all the time.

Smoking behaviour of family members/peers

The incidence of maternal smoking (6.3%) was significantly lower than paternal smoking (23.9%). Smoking prevalence for Canadian men and women is roughly equal (Health Canada, 2004), so the discrepancy in parental smoking rates among newcomer youth likely reflects gender norms from the country of origin that deem smoking less acceptable for women (especially in Asian countries). 15.2% of youth indicated that one or more of their siblings smoke. Many youth (61.1%) reported no smokers at home, but 13.2% said that one or more family members smoke inside the house.

A majority of youth (54.2%) reported having no close friends who smoke. 12.8% reported having one good friend who smokes and 10.1% socialize with two friends who are smokers. Only 11.7% of youth (or 1 in 4 youth who have at least one close friend who smokes) would smoke a cigarette if a close friend offered it. These findings indicate that 1) newcomer youth primarily socialize with non-smokers and 2) even if they do socialize with smokers, 3 out of 4 would not give in to peer pressure to smoke.

Smoking behaviour and attitudes of newcomer youth

12% of respondents reported smoking all or part of a cigarette within the past 30 days. This figure lies below the average for BC youth. According to Health Canada’s Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (2004) 16% of 15-19 year olds in British Columbia smoke (this figure includes both daily and non-daily smokers). 71% of youth identified as non-smokers, 20.2% as experimental smokers, 2.6% as social smokers, 4.2% as regular smokers and 2.1% as former smokers. The age that the respondents reported having had their first cigarette ranged from 4-20 years of age. The ages most often cited were 10 (13.1%), 13 (16.4%), 14 (13.1%) and 15 (18%). Over a third of youth said that they smoked their first cigarette because they wanted to try something new. 29.1% reported that a friend offered the first cigarette or that peer smoking influenced the decision to smoke the first cigarette. The primary reasons for smoking among newcomer youth (rank-ordered according to frequency of response) were to cope with stress, because it feels good, to look cool, to fit in (with friends/other smokers), to look/feel more grown up and out of boredom. Newcomer youth who smoke cited several reasons that might encourage them to quit smoking. These included (in order of importance) health concerns, parental disapproval, the high price of cigarettes and disapproval from friends (due to the small sample size of smokers, these findings should be interpreted with caution).

Non-smokers gave the following reasons for not smoking: Health concerns (74.2%), disapproval from the family (46.4%), disapproval from friends (22.7%), religious beliefs (18%), cultural expectations/norms (16%), and the high price of cigarettes (5.7%).

Awareness of pro/anti-tobacco messages in the media

Newcomer youth reported that most messages that promote smoking were seen in the movies (59.7%), in newspapers/magazines (49.2%), on television (42.1%). Other media outlets for pro smoking messages included the internet (38.6%), billboards/posters (31.5%), and the radio (24.6%).

Anti-tobacco messages were most often reported on TV (66.7%) and in newspapers/magazines (56.7%). Other media outlets for anti-tobacco messages included billboards/posters (53.2%), the radio (45.4%), movies (42.3%), and the internet (37.2%).

These findings indicate that anti-tobacco messaging outweighs pro-tobacco messaging for most media outlets (television, newspapers/magazines, radio and billboards posters). However, pro-tobacco messages in the movies and on the internet were cited more often than anti-tobacco messages for the same media outlets. This discrepancy was especially pronounced for movies. These findings are somewhat alarming in light of the immense popularity of movies and the internet among youth. Another interesting finding is the high number of pro-tobacco messages seen on television. Since pro-tobacco advertisements are not aired on Canadian television, the youth most likely referred to the promotion of pro-tobacco attitudes on television shows/movies.

When asked which anti-smoking messages stood out most, youth recalled TV ads, posters, SWAT (students working against tobacco) presentations and anti-tobacco messaging on the back of cigarette packages. The anti-smoking campaign that was most often recalled was stupid.ca. The ad most often recalled was that of the woman smoking through a hole in her throat. This image evoked disgust and fear among youth.

Some youth recalled ads from Smoke Screen 1 and others described the poster that shows the chemical additives in cigarettes. Anti-smoking messages that were cited by youth often included graphic images of organ damage. In other words, it was effective to show youth the negative health consequences of smoking. For instance, showing pictures of a healthy lung compared to a smoker’s lung. Another successful technique was the presentation of statistics on how many people die from smoking related diseases. This strategy was most effective when the number of deaths was put in perspective by comparing it to another statistic/number. E.g. one youth recalled a statistic that compared the number of deaths from tobacco to the number of residents in a small city. The overarching anti-tobacco message that most youth recalled was that “Smoking causes premature death”.

When asked what pro-tobacco messages youth recalled the most frequent answer was that smoking looks cool in movies/on TV. Many youth also felt that seeing people smoke in movies affected their attitudes towards smoking. In movies smoking is often associated with thin, attractive and wealthy people (in other words: celebrities). Smoking looks glamorous and cool. Youth cited James Bond and Brad Pitt as examples. “James Bond always smokes and he always gets the girl“. It was also pointed out that some rappers smoke and that youth who idolize these musicians will want to imitate them. The connection between sex and smoking was also discussed. Movie or TV characters smoke after sex and/or make smoking look sexy and relaxing. These images normalize smoking and may encourage youth to be less critical of the adverse health consequences of tobacco use. Some youth recalled messages that discourage smoking in the movies and on TV. One example was Krusty the Clown on the Simpsons. Krusty smokes, but he is depicted as depressed, weak and unattractive.

Awareness of negative health consequences of smoking

Most newcomer youth (93.7%) stated that smoking is harmful (to their health). When asked to enumerate the adverse health consequences of smoking, lung cancer was cited most often followed by cancer (in general), respiratory problems, yellow teeth, heart disease, brain damage, bad breath and premature death. Other health concerns included harm to others due to second hand smoke, harm to the fetus in utero, skin problems, eye problems, fatigue and reduced physical performance, addiction, and sleep disturbance. Although nearly 94% were aware of negative health consequences, 18% could not cite specific problems associated with tobacco use. A quarter of participants could think of one adverse health outcome and a fifth could think of two adverse health consequences. These results draw attention to the limited knowledge among newcomer youth of specific health risks associated with smoking.

90.4% of newcomer youth felt that exposure to second hand smoke was harmful (to their health). Many youth were able to enumerate some of these negative effects on health. In order of prevalence, youth reported that exposure to second hand smoke can cause respiratory problems, lung cancer, cancer (in general) and is even more harmful than smoking cigarettes. Other adverse health consequences included that second hand smoke can induce nicotine addiction, smells bad and is bad for the skin. It should be noted that close to 40% of youth could not recall any specific health risks of exposure to second hand smoke. 35% could recall one adverse health consequence. These findings show higher awareness rates of the health consequences of smoking than exposure to second hand smoke.

83.5% had heard about the harmful effects of smoking at home, 80.4% in the media and 65.4% at school. These findings point to the need to raise awareness about the harmful effects of smoking in schools (by distributing educational materials and/or incorporating tobacco awareness into the school curriculum).

Summary of Focus Group Discussion

During the discussion participants were asked what might encourage newcomer youth to smoke tobacco. Many participants felt that newcomer youth start smoking to fit into the new society/culture and to make new friends (14.1%). Peer pressure (14.1%), to look cool (12.7%), exposure to pro-tobacco messages in the media (12%) and stress/depression (11.3%) were also cited as reasons. When asked what might discourage newcomer youth from smoking the most frequent response was adverse health consequences to self (23.9%). Youth also felt that an increase in knowledge about the effects of smoking would be a reason (9%) as well as the smell of cigarettes on your breath/clothing (8.5%), parental discouragement (8.5%), the high price of cigarettes (8%) and anti-smoking messages in the media (6.9%). Finally, participants discussed what can be done to reduce tobacco use among newcomer youth in Canada. A lot of valuable ideas surfaced during these discussions. The most frequently cited response was an increase in the awareness of the dangers of smoking (through educational material etc.) (30.9%), more anti-smoking advertisements (13.8%), an increase in the price of cigarettes (10.6%), an increase in the legal age required to purchase cigarettes (5.3%), additional restrictions on where smoking is allowed (5.3%) and the establishment of anti-smoking peer support groups (5.3%). Other ideas included making educational material available at the ESL level/in first languages, fostering good decision making and critical thinking skills, enrolling the support of parents in educating youth about tobacco, encouraging participation in sports and other extracurricular activities, developing better anti-smoking cassation aids, enforcing existing tobacco laws and finding ways to make newcomer youth fit in/feel accepted in Canadian society

Correlates of tobacco use among newcomer youth

The following variables were associated with smoking among newcomer youth: Being male, being older, having more family members who smoke, consuming alcohol more frequently, attaching less importance to family approval, feeling more stressed and having more close friends who smoke tobacco.

The role of ethnicity in the smoking behaviour and attitudes of newcomer youth

Ethnic identifications were reclassified into six ethnic categories. Nearly 50% of respondents were Asian, 15% Middle Eastern, 13% Hispanic, 9% East Indian, 7% African and 6% were European. Meaningful comparisons among ethnic groups were not possible due to the small sample size.

However, cross tabulations revealed that Hispanic respondents were more likely to be smokers than other ethnic groups. None of the African or Middle Eastern respondents reported that they had smoked all or part of a cigarette during the past 30 days. The awareness of the dangers of smoking and exposure to second hand smoke did not vary by ethnicity.

Statistical Data

Data Collection Sites

Site of data collection	Number of surveys completed
John Oliver Secondary School	74
Immigrant Services Society of B.C.	43
Coquitlam Mosque	10
Gladstone Secondary School	8
Multicultural Helping House	11
Brittania Community Center	8
Ray Cam Community Center	6
Internet	21
Other	13

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Country of Birth

Country of birth	Frequencies
Phillippines	37
China	32
Afghanistan	17
Columbia	13
India	11
Korea	6
Iran	6
Ethiopia	6
Bangladesh	5
Vietnam	5
Mexico	5
Sudan	4
Indonesia	4
Taiwan	4
Russia	4
Honduras	3
Guatemala	3
Iraq	3
Hong Kong	2
Japan	2
Fiji	2
Israel	2
Former Yugoslavia	2
Kyrgyz Republic	1
Democratic Republic of Congo	1
Burma	1
Belgium	1
Malaysia	1
Bosnia	1
Poland	1
Nicaragua	1
El Salvador	1
Ukraine	1
Cambodia	1
Pakistan	1
Czech Republic	1
Chile	1
Sierra Leone	1

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Encouraging Factors

Note: a range of responses were given to this discussion question, but the frequencies refers to the number of times the theme emerged during the focus group discussions.

Factors that might encourage newcomer youth to smoke tobacco	Frequencies
To fit into new society/to make new friends	20
Peer Pressure	20
To be cool/to imitate other smokers who look cool	18
Because smoking is displayed as desirable in the media	17
General Stress/depression	16
Because parents/siblings role model/normalize smoking	12
To try something new/to find out how smoking feels like	9
To control weight	6
Because it is relaxing	5
Because the home culture condones it	4
Stress of adaptation (to a new environment)	4
Because of nicotine addiction	3
To look/feel more grown up	3
Because membership in a group/gang requires it	3
Because smoking makes you feel more powerful/manly	2

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Discouraging Factors

Note: a range of responses were given to this discussion question, but the frequencies refers to the number of times the theme emerged during the focus group discussions.

Factors that might discourage newcomer youth from smoking	Frequencies
Adverse health consequences to self	45
Increase in knowledge about the effects of smoking tobacco	17
Family disapproval	16
Smell (on clothing/breath)	16
High price of cigarettes	15
Anti-smoking messages in the media	13
Disapproval from peer group	12
Religious/personal/cultural beliefs	12
Tobacco regulations in Canada	11
Because it looks bad	8
Smoking induces fatigue/reduces performance	6
Adverse health consequences to others (e.g. through second hand smoke)	5
Environmental pollution	4
Perception that smoking is a waste of time	3
Too busy to smoke	3

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Tobacco Use Reduction Measures

Note: a range of responses were given to this discussion question, but the frequencies refers to the number of times the theme emerged during the focus group discussions.

What can be done to reduce tobacco use among newcomer youth in Canada?	Frequencies
Increase awareness of dangers of smoking tobacco	29
Increase anti-smoking advertisements	13
Increase the price of cigarettes	10
Increase legal age for purchase of tobacco products	5
Develop better smoking cessation aids/programs	5
Place additional restrictions on where smoking is allowed	5
Anti-smoking peer support groups	5
Punish/restrict the tobacco companies	4
Enroll support of parents in educating youth about the dangers of smoking tobacco	3
Encourage participation in sports	3
Enforce existing tobacco laws	3
Find ways to make newcomer youth feel like they fit in	3
Educational material at the ESL level	3
Education focused on decision making/critical thinking skills	3

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Smoke Screen 2: Through the Eyes of New Canadians:

The BIG PICTURE and the DETAILS

Smoke Screen 2: Through the Eyes of New Canadians is a ground-breaking, peer-driven project that responds to community needs and fills gaps that exist in current health promotion-related mass media initiatives. The project essentially consists of 3 stages:

1. Research
2. Production
3. Dissemination

1. Research

Community Consultation:

Because there is so little current research on smoking trends and awareness rates among new immigrants in general, and specifically within the immigrant and refugee community in the Greater Vancouver Area (GVA), this project began with a comprehensive community consultation process. More specifically, a series of peer-facilitated focus groups took place with 194 new comer youth. These focus groups were held to help get base-line research and information to ensure that the Though the Eyes of New Canadians media campaign would be culturally relevant and effective.

The focus groups took place in a range of schools and community-based venues between May and August 2005. The groups were facilitated by 12 newcomer youth who came to Galiano Island to help develop the focus group content and to get trained in facilitating the groups. Each focus group took approximately 2 hours to complete and consisted of a written survey, a series of discussion questions and a role play / brainstorm where the participants acted out a potential anti-smoking ad targeting their peers. Because the majority of new comer youth had a significant enough command of English to participate in these focus groups most of the groups took place in English, but a series also took place in Mandarin, Farsi, Spanish and Arabic.

Early on in the project a Steering Committee, made up of 5 culturally diverse young immigrants, was also struck to guide the project and help to ensure that it stayed on track and remained culturally relevant.

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2. PRODUCTION

Recruitment:

In addition to informing the direction that the messages would take, the consultation process became a central means of recruiting young immigrants and refugees to participate in the production phase of this project. We also tapped into our existing networks and extended new ones in the attempt to widely circulate information about this fully subsidized media training opportunity.

Students were selected through both a referral and an application process. The application asked youth to outline the reasons they wanted to participate in the project, what they felt motivated newcomer youth to smoke and what kind of ad they would want to create to discourage young immigrants and refugees from smoking. The final selection was based on the applicant’s investment, interest and/or understanding of the issue, the uniqueness and quality of the proposed video idea and the need for diversity among the students (in terms of gender, ethnicity, skill level and ‘smoking status’). Particular effort was made to recruit a diverse selection of youth including smokers, non-smokers and those who have successfully quit.

In the end 16 youth from 11 different countries of origin participated in the program and created a total of 12 ads.

The Creation of the Ads:

In early October 16 youth from 11 countries of origin gathered at East Vancouver‘s Purple Thistle Centre to get to know each other and get the know-how to create tobacco ‘counter-marketing’. Over the course of 4 days they learned the ABC’s of social marketing, brainstormed ideas, developed scripts and created storyboards for a series of 30 second commercials.

Similar to the Smoke Screen: Anti-Smoking Ads By and For Girls campaign that was piloted in 2003/04, the project participants spent seven days at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School (GIFTS) working with media professionals and anti-tobacco stakeholders to produce a series of media messages that challenge their peers to think critically about their own tobacco use and that of others in their community.

A total of 12 ads were created during the project, 6 of which are bound for television this February (2006).

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3. DISSEMINATION

Consult before you buy:

In November 2005, the 12 ads that were produced in October of 2005 were focus tested with 166 young immigrants and refugees in order to determine:

1. if the messages were ‘getting through’,
2. how, if at all, the messages could be refined,
3. which ads were most effective and thus more likely to be broadcast, and
4. where the television and print-based advertising should be placed in order to maximize the target populations exposure to the media campaign.

Another objective of both the initial research and the test screenings was to gain insight into the media that new comer youth consume. This series of focus groups, in addition to the initial community consultation meant that a total of 360 ‘newcomer youth’ were canvassed about their reading and viewing practices in both English and Non-English. The information culled through these questionaires played a central role in determining the choices made for the media buy.

Anecdotal feedback and discussions with focus group facilitators and participants also suggested that newcomer youth were spending a lot of time on the internet. This led to an additional question in the second series of focus groups about time spent on the web. According to the information provided by 166 respondents, it was found that on average newcomer youth were spending 10 hours a week watching television as compared with 19 hours on the internet. This finding prompted the development of an additional internet component to the campaign.

Nuts and Bolts of the Media Buy

The Smoke Screen: Through the Eyes of New Canadians campaign will involve:

• the broadcasting of 6 ads on 6 mainstream television networks and 2 community-based television stations
• the inclusion of an ad on the inside of 500 busses and on 200 sky train cars in the Vancouver area.
• the presence of 2 full colour/full page ads (with background info about the project) in two mainstream media outlets (The Vancouver Sun and The Province), a series of banner ads in 24 Hours and a 1/2 page ad in The Canadian Immigrant Magazine (which serves over 100,000 of Greater Vancouver’s English-speaking immigrants).
• an extensive internet campaign which will include:

• a treasure hunt that demands that participants go to a range of sites to gather information about the consequences of smoking and watch the Smoke Screen ads.
• (there will be a draw for 4 i-pods and 2 digital cameras to help provide incentive to participate in the contest)
• a campaign which involves intensive social networking on sites like “myspace” and “friendster”.
• the dissemination of v-cards (like e-cards, but with video)
• banner ads promoting the contest and the project in general on key sites
• pod-casting and mobile phone marketing options (if deemed realistic and effective given the budget.)

• a sticker campaign featuring the project-based web address (these will be distributed by the 100 + youth who have participate in the various facets of this project).

The project-based website (www.madebyyouth.tv) will also play a key role in the dissemination of the ads and information related to the project as a whole.

If funding is secured from the Education and Cessation Branch of the Tobacco Control Programme, the completed media messages would also be incorporated into a “behind the scenes” documentary featuring interviews with participants, snapshots of the production process and educational information about tobacco use in the immigrant and refugee community. The documentary would illuminate key themes addressed in the television spots. These themes would be further elaborated upon in a Learning Resources Package (LRP) that would include a range of information and activities that complement existing provincial outreach programs and school initiatives. This package would be distributed to schools, community organizations and youth groups across British Columbia.

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In Detail

New Immigrants in the 2001 Census

According to the 2001 census, new immigrants make up 26.1% of the total population of British Columbia and constitute 37% of the total population in the Vancouver region. Of these new immigrants, 75% are Asian and 70% live in the GVRD. Not surprisingly, these numbers are also reflected in English as a Second Language (ESL) statistics. In the 2002-03 school year, there were a total of 46,539 students who were identified as requiring, and receiving, English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction in schools throughout the Lower Mainland. This number represents 80% of ESL learners in the province.

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Discussion Questions:

1. What factors might encourage newcomer youth to smoke tobacco?
2. What factors might discourage newcomer youth from smoking tobacco?
3. Try to recall some of the anti-smoking messages you have seen/or heard in the media. Which message was the most powerful in making you think about quitting/never starting to smoke tobacco?
4. Try to recall some of the images of smoking you have seen in the movies. Do you think seeing people smoking in the movies effects your attitudes towards tobacco? If so, how?
5. Have you got any ideas about things that could be done to reduce tobacco use among newcomer youth in Canada?

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Role Play Exercise:

We would like you to design an anti-smoking campaign that targets youth like yourselves. What message would be most effective in motivating youth in your age group to quit smoking/not to start smoking? What form of media would you use and what would your message say?

We will provide you with a “Smoke Screen Ad Campaign Sheet” to guide your brainstorm and to note the final ideas your group come to. Select one recorder who will keep track of your ideas and write them on the sheet, but make sure everyone in your group gets a chance to provide some input.

You will have 15 minutes to develop the campaign and 5 minutes to present your campaign to the rest of the group. You can act out a television/radio ad or simply explain how you would present your anti-smoking message in the media. After we see/hear from each group we will talk about which ad(s) were most likely to motivate youth to quit/never start smoking tobacco and why.

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Organizations, Individuals and Media Outlets:

We circulated information and applications to following organizations / individuals / media outlets:

1. Gulf Islands Film and Television School (included in newsletter that reaches over 5000 young people and media-based organizations)
2. Immigrant Services Society
3. Multicultural Liaison Workers
4. Association of Media Arts Educators
5. Mainstream and general community papers in Vancouver, Richmond, North Van and Burnaby
6. Ethnic/Community-based papers (23 in total); including a prominent ad in the Canadian Immigrant Magazine
7. 20 film schools and media arts departments in lower mainland colleges and Universities
8. 21 ESL Schools / Departments
9. 24 community-based organizations and cultural societies that work with new comer youth
10. 20 Community, University and College Libraries
11. 7 Radio Stations and community Bulletin Boards
12. 6 TV Stations and community Bulletin Boards
13. 54 High schools in the GVRD
14. Miscellaneous Productions (Richmond)
15. Van East Cultural Centre youth council
16. Broadway Youth Resource Centre
17. Britannia Community Services Centre youth worker
18. Killarney Community Centre youth worker
19. Judith Marcuse Projects
20. Sunset Community Centre youth worker
21. City of Vancouver Youth Outreach Team (Anka Raskin)
22. Park Board Youth & Children (Booth Palmer)
23. Park Board Arts & Culture (Susan Gordon)
24. Pacific Cinematheque Education Programmes & Summer Visions
25. Richmond Park Board Youth Services (Wayne Yee)
26. Champlain Heights Community Centre youth worker
27. Dunbar Community Centre youth worker
28. the three Buddy Program coordinators
29. Kinex Youth
30. SUCCESS Youth Outreach (Vancouver)
31. Sir Charles Tupper Community of Schools Coordinator
32. John Oliver Community of Schools Coordinator
33. The Colouring Book Project (Purple Thistle)

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Demographics

The mean age of focus group participants was 16 years old. 51% of the respondents were male and 49 % female. Nearly 90% of the youth reported speaking two languarges with a third of respondents speaking both Chinese and English. All in all the 166 youth spoke a total of 25 different languages.

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Media Buy

The top 3 shows among the target audience were:

• The Simpson’s (watched and noted by approximately 30% of the respondents)
• Family Guy
• Friends

The top 5 Channels were:

• Much Music
• City TV
• YTV
• Channel M
• SportsNet

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Smoke Screen 2: Through the Eyes of New Canadians:

Project objectives

1. To develop a comprehensive media campaign to address tobacco use in BC's rapidly growing Immigrant, refugee and ESL communities.
2. To design and disseminate a series of culturally relevant television and print ads that attract community support and encourage and promote positive behavioural change in Canada's immigrant community.
3. To provide new immigrant youth with media messages that speak directly to them and that give them the opportunity to:
• increase their knowledge of the dangers of tobacco use
• identify with images that portray tobacco use as undesirable.
• be exposed to media images that motivate them to decrease their tobacco use
4. To begin to create base-line research that will help identify current ethno-specific attitudes and behaviours towards tobacco use.

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WHY A PROJECT LIKE THIS IS NEEDED:

EXCERPTS FROM THE RESEARCH

During the 128th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, it was noted that there was a glaring absence of studies that investigate the “ethnic/racial differences in smoking behaviours, awareness rates, risk factors, and availability (both social and commercial) of tobacco among adolescents”. In Canada there is almost no current research that seriously explores race or ethnicity as it impacts tobacco use among Canadian youth. The under representation of minority populations in both research and interventions stands in stark contrast to the changing demographics of the country and in particular this region.

Excerpts from the research below highlight the need for better information on ethno-specific tobacco use and also supports the need for an anti-tobacco media campaign designed by and directed at new immigrants.

1. NEED TO TARGET MINORITY POPULATIONS WITH ENTHNO-SPECIFIC ANTI-TOBACCO MESSAGES

1998, Surgeon General’s Report

According to the 1998 Surgeon General’s Report, “the Asian population is one of four racial and ethnic minority populations (that) remain at high risk for using tobacco” and that “often bear a disproportionate share of the human and economic cost of tobacco use”. This, combined with the high concentration of Asian ESL students and new immigrants in the Greater Vancouver Area (Asians constitute 34.7% of the population in this region), point to the need for health promotion messages that directly engage this significant and rapidly growing population.

The report goes on to state that “[c]urrent educational efforts to reduce smoking in the mainstream population may not be effective for recently arrived immigrants because of difference in language and culture; many immigrants may neither understand nor believe health risks associated with smoking”.

1999 study conducted by the York Regional Health Authority

The study found that “tobacco prevention efforts have largely been directed at the general population.” It was questioned whether treatment programs and prevention messages were successfully reaching the Chinese community and other minority populations and/or whether they were having any impact.

“Tobacco Use: Attitudes and Beliefs of South Asian Teens in Toronto”, April 2001

This study recommended that “governmental and community agencies with a responsibility for providing awareness and education should work in partnership to support mass media campaigns targeting youth generally and ethnic youth specifically.”

2. CORRELATION BETWEEN INCREASES IN ACCULTURATION RATES AND INCREASES IN SMOKING RATES POINT TO THE NEED FOR EARLY INTERVENTION

A number of studies conducted by the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California (2003, 2001, 1999) suggest that acculturation to mainstream North American culture may influence cigarette smoking and/or initiation among new immigrants. Related to this, many studies have shown that smoking initiation occurs at a later time for Asian Americans than for other ethnic/racial groups. This seems to be born out by the fact that Asian Canadian and American teens have some of the lowest smoking rates in middle school and yet have a seven-fold increase in smoking from the 7th to the 12th grades, the highest increase of any ethnic group (2000 National Youth Tobacco Survey).

This indicates a need for smoking prevention programs that target 16-25 year olds in order to coincide with the period of maximum risk among Asian North Americans.

3. DEMAND FOR AND PROVEN EFFECTIVENESS OF TARGETED AND PEER-BASED MASS MEDIA CAMPAIGNS.

Vermont Best Practices to Cut Smoking Rates in Half, Vermont Dept. of Health, 2000.

• A combination of school curriculum and mass media has been shown to considerably reduce smoking throughout adolescence.
• Targeted counter marketing interventions towards particular sections of the population are most effective.
• The best way to appeal to a particular target group is to involve members of the target group in the development of the campaign itself.

New Directions for Tobacco Control in Canada - A National Strategy 2001

• Need to reach and involve young people in a range of programs and settings in and out of school and to involve them as advisors, activists and peer models.

Youth and Tobacco - Lessons Learned Report

• Prevention efforts need to address different age, gender and ethnic-related patterns.
• Anti-tobacco messages need to be culturally sensitive and appropriate and cover a wide range of media. Effective programs "combined the serious work of preventing tobacco use and future illness with having a good time…and developing opportunities that invite youth to be creative... with other youth"

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