What is "Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down!"?
"Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down!" (TUTD) is a project of Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails designed to raise awareness about the impact of tobacco use in the movies on young people. The project is made possible by a grant received from the Tobacco Health Protection Act of 1988, Proposition 99. Recently TUTD received generous augment funding from the AKT Communities Fund of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation earmarked for project expansion.
Why is tobacco use in the movies an issue?
The debate over tobacco use in the movies is driven by the concern over how such use impacts young people. A recent Dartmouth study shows that 52% of smoking initiation by youth can be credited to exposure to smoking in movies. In the USA, about 2050 adolescents (age 12-17) start smoking every day, 660 of these individuals will die prematurely because of smoking. Connecting these statistics, smoking in movies is responsible for addicting 1070 adolescents to tobacco every day, 340 of whom will die prematurely as a result. While major strides have been made in reducing tobacco use among adults, success with youth has been disappointingly slim. According to figures from the California Department of Health Services, tobacco use among youth has remained relatively constant in recent years, falling only .2% to 22.3% in 2004. Therefore teen smoking still needs to be addressed and Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! is working to reduce the number of adolescents who start smoking because of what they see on screen.
The Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! project believes that the entertainment industry can play a significant role in influencing young people in terms of tobacco use... both positively and negatively. When an actor or actress lights up or objects to tobacco use on screen, millions of young people in theaters across the nation and around the world receive the message. Modern video technology and cable television help assure this message can be repeated decades into the future, time and time again.
What does this project hope to accomplish?
TUTD is designed to ed ucate people - especially youth and young adults - about the impact of tobacco use and smoking in movies and prevents them from picking up a deadly habit by hosting the annual Hackademy Awards.
Through a collaborative effort between staff, youth volunteers and consultants Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! builds one of the most comprehensive databases on tobacco depiction in movies. It produces statistics that are used to inform the entertainment industry and advocate on the importance of reducing the glamorization of tobacco use. The project has three major objectives:
- To carry out an analysis of tobacco depictions in movies To raise youth awareness about how and why tobacco use is included in movies and to inoculate youth against any pro-tobacco messages.
- To coordinate efforts with other entertainment advocacy efforts and to share data and ratings in support of ongoing state, national and international efforts to modify the MPAA rating system and reduce tobacco depictions in film.
Methodology
Young people between the ages of 14-22 are recruited and trained to utilize a standardized form for analyzing tobacco content in movies. The amount and type of tobacco use depicted, the demographics of who is using tobacco and any perceived messages about tobacco use are included in each review. All movies are reviewed by a minimum of one youth and one staff reviewer. Movies with conflicting reviews are assigned for another review by project staff.
Each week the youth reviewers review the top 10 current box office movies for tobacco content. The results of their reviews and more are posted on www.SceneSmoking.org every Wednesday. In addition, the top 50 domestic box office movies for each year have been reviewed since 1991.
Love Movies? Have an Opinion? Want to Get Involved?
- Be part of a university level research project
- Earn community service hours
- Earn scholarship & college recommendation letters!
- See movies for free!
- Be part of the movement to stop glamorization of tobacco use in movies
Read the TUTD job description and fill out a reviewer application today!
