Physicians at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford today sent a message to prominent Hollywood studios, producers and directors: Hundreds of flattened and signed cigarette cartons. The message is to “stop selling smoking to our kids” through their movies.

The cartons have been signed by Bay Area community leaders, students, and people impacted by a smoking-related illness. The cartons and signatures were collected by Packard Hospital junior residents as part of a Stanford School of Medicine program.

“It’s a new approach to practicing children’s health,” said Dr. Lisa Chamberlain, a Packard Hospital pediatrician.

The project is part of the Smoke Free Movies campaign started by Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco.

According to a 2003 Dartmouth University study, on-screen smoking recruits 390,000 adolescent smokers a year.

“We just want Hollywood to know that they help determine whether or not kids will stop smoking,” said Dr. Seth Ammerman of Packard Hospital.