Publication Date: Friday, December 05, 2003
Dissipating smoking's glamour
Dissipating smoking's glamour
(December 05, 2003) Medical students seek to educate community
by Rachel Metz
Are kids really influenced by what they see in the movies?
A group of Stanford doctors believe they are, especially when it comes to on-screen smoking.
To help stamp out unnecessary puffing, second-year pediatric residents at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital are sending letters to Hollywood heavyweights and gathering signatures of support on empty cigarette cartons.
So far, the residents are off and running. They've collected about 100 signatures on cigarette cartons, and about the same number of letters, since launching the academic project several weeks ago.
Social-action projects for Stanford junior residents have been a fixture for the past three years. However, this is the first time resident doctors are working together on a cause instead of choosing individual topics. The year-long project rotates among residents so two new people work on it each month.
"As pediatricians in training it's important we become advocates for our patients and for people in the community," junior resident Maya Kapoor said.
The impetus for the project came from a study by the Dartmouth Medical School that pointed to smoking in films as the biggest factor when kids decide to light up. The study, which included more than 2,600 kids ages 10 to 14, concluded those exposed to movies portraying smoking were more likely to try it than others.
"We really feel like we have good evidence now that smoking in the movies does have an impact on kids behaviors," Chamberlain said.
The residents' work also follows on the coattails of a larger movement called the Smoke Free Movies campaign. This anti-smoking project wants almost all new movies that include tobacco use to be rated R -- which would mean current PG and PG-13 films like "Elf" and "Scary Movie 3" would be upgraded to the more restrictive rating.
The organization also wants studios and theaters to show anti-smoking ads before the start of any movie that portrays tobacco or its use. It also wants cessation of tobacco brand identification in films and a posting at the end of films that says no payoffs were received for using tobacco onscreen.
Right now residents are trying to get support from Stanford doctors by speaking out at some departments' weekly grand rounds - a time when doctors in a specific medical field gather.
They're also eager to gain community support. At the Nov. 18 Palo Alto school district board meeting and Nov. 19 PTA Council meeting, residents briefed attendees on their project. Though they haven't nailed down exactly how they'll get their message out to the community, the residents want to educate a range of people -- including teachers, coaches and athletes -- on the adverse affect of silver-screen smoking, Chamberlain said.
They also haven't talked to kids at local schools, but "that's definitely something we're looking at doing," resident Jennifer Fang said.
In the spring, the doctors plan to display the signed cigarette cartons they've gathered to show the amount of community support they've raised.
And though the residents obviously don't know if their work will have an impact on the way smoking is portrayed in movies, they hope Hollywood will take some action, Fang said.
Kapoor also expressed optimism.
"When people speak up you are able to make a difference," she said.
Rachel Metz can be e-mailed at rmetz@paweekly.com
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