What is Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! (TUTD)?
Our youth volunteers between the ages of 14-22 are recruited and trained to analyze tobacco content in movies. Each week they review the top 10 current box office movies for tobacco content. 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 and the results of their reviews and more are posted on www.scenesmoking.org every Wednesday. Over the years, more than 600 youth volunteers have been a part of this program and more than 1,200 movies have been reviewed.
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 Movies an Issue?
Scientific studies from Dartmouth College support that smoking in movies, on its own, is a significant risk factor for youth smoking initiation and the debate over tobacco use in 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.
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.
What Does TUTD Hope to Accomplish?
TUTD is designed to educate 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. 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.
Our Successes
• In May of 2007, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced that “all smoking will be considered and depictions that glamorize smoking or movies that feature pervasive smoking outside of an historic or other mitigating context may receive a higher rating.”
• TUTD continues to maintain the most comprehensive, youth-driven database on tobacco use in film
• Soon youth-rated DVDs with depictions of tobacco use will contain public service announcements warning teens about the devastating health consequences of smoking
Help Us Make A Difference
Reducing tobacco use in film productions will reduce the number of young people that may begin a deadly habit. Your support of this innovative youth program allows us to continue raising awareness to help young people inoculate themselves against pro-tobacco messages in movies and ultimately save lives.
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!
Questions?
For more information or questions about TUTD, contact Shelley at (916) 444-5900 ext. 218 or smitchell@sacbreathe.org.
