The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created an ad to warn others that smoking can cause cancer. The video ad campaign was created in 2012 to raise awareness of what smoking does to your health. Over the years, there have been several advertisements to send the message out to others that smoking is bad for the public health.
According to the CDC, “Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure”. “On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers”. Lung Cancer is a preventable disease, yet it costs millions of dollars in healthcare costs. Everyday about 2,300 kids under the age of 18 try smoking for the first time.
Many kids get addicted and others are smart enough not to do it again. The campaign video of “Tips from Former Smokers” advertises men and woman from different background and ethnic groups who have done a great job and stopped smoking. There are a few who have stopped smoking, but now they are dealing with long term complications from smoking. Tobacco can cause permanent damage to your health. The CDC advertisement provides several videos that shows the negative impact that smoking tobacco may cause.
Smoking can cause cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking tobacco may increase your risk of getting for tuberculosis, certain eye disease and problems with your immune system. The videos that were presented showed the adverse effects that smoke related diseases could have on younger kids. There are two videos that should be an eye opener for all ages.
This first video is from a former smoker name Terrie Hall. Ms. Hall began smoking as a teenager. At the age of 40 Terrie was diagnosed with oral cancer. Terrie was a strong individual who was a survivor of 10 cancer diagnosis.
She also had 48 radiation treatments, and nearly a year’s worth of chemotherapy, before and after undergoing a laryngectomy in 2001. At the beginning of the video, Hall demonstrated how she gets herself prepared before leaving the house. She starts by putting her teeth in, then placing her wig on her head, and last placing her breathing device in her neck. As I watched Terrie get herself together I noticed the dark colors surrounding her. I immediately felt the guilt and pain that she’s been through.
I believe she felt guilty because she knew that smoking was bad for her and she knew that with smoking there would be a possibility of cancer. The pain comes from the multiple diagnosis, the chemotherapy and surgeries that she has had. Hall has traveled across the world educating the youth and adults about the negative effects of smoking cigarettes. Hall’s message is to inform and educate others about the health risks from tobacco use.
Hall’s video was not intended to scare anyone, she just wanted to share her story with the world and hopefully spread awareness to others to stop smoking. Sadly, Hall passed away at the age of 53 from her 11th cancer diagnosis. The second video gives examples of things that you should not do. It starts off with a man in the shower, he turns his back in the shower to avoid getting water into the stoma in his throat.
This is a caution sign to prevent yourself from choking from the water. Next, the video shows a woman who gives a message to suction out your tube before eating. She provided this message to inform you on how important it is to suction out your mucous therefore; you will be able to breathe and swallowing without choking. The second video also offer a tip on how to perform CPR. The proper way to perform CPR would be mouth to stoma.
If you did mouth to mouth the air would release from your stoma and not go to your lungs. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for you. Many people start smoking out of curiosity and others start smoking due to peer pressure. In addition, the campaign ad presents from one former smokers who has successfully broken the habit and shows how she has managed to remain tobacco free. The video is about a woman name Rebecca.
Rebecca was a smoker for 36 years. She noticed that a lot of her family members were starting to deteriorate as they got older. Rebecca noticed signs that her body was affected by smoking, so she decided to make a change for herself and break her habit from smoking. When Rebecca’s grandson Ian was born, she decided to quit because she did not want her grandson smelling the nasty smells from her cigarettes nor did she want him to see her holding a cigarette.
Rebecca started off by walking then running. Six months after Rebecca quit smoking she was able to run her first 5K. Rebecca had to set some boundaries for herself of what was acceptable and what wasn’t. She decided that smoking was “NOT” one of them. Rebecca had to learn to love herself and the ones surrounding her and stop smoking. It’s clear that the ads in the Center for Disease Control’s Tips from Former Smokers campaign effectively sends the message that smoking is dangerous to individuals and their families, it also let them know that it is possible to quit smoking, and that resources are available to help.
There has been some positivity after someone has stopped smoking. According to the CDC “There is a total of 1.3 million people who were successful and quit smoking”. “Since 1965, it has been more than 40 percent of adults who stopped smoking and did not touch a cigarette for at least a year”. The benefits when you stop smoking are: your vision improves, your skin would clear up, your smile would get brighter, decreased heart risks, your cholesterol would lower, and the large number of nicotine receptors in your brain will return to normal levels after about a month. In conclusion, the reason for the videos on “Tips from Former Smokers”, is to build public awareness of the immediate health damages caused by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
It encourages people to quit smoking or not to start at all. The video campaign also encourages smokers not to smoke to protect themselves and their families from exposure to second hand smoke. Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoke related illness.
The anti-smoking ads has been beneficial to some people. The ad advertises individuals who have smoked for many years and the negative outcome that they have due to smoking. This video hopes to spread awareness to others and encourage them to quit smoking immediately to prevent oncoming preventable diseases and death.
