Oscar season is here, and while smoking in the U.S. has been declining for years, you might not realize that by going to the movies. The deadly habit stubbornly remains on movie screens.

Research shows a causal link between movie smoking and youth smoking initiation. Kids – especially teens – are impressionable, and actors lighting up onscreen make smoking look fun and socially acceptable. That sends a message to kids that smoking is okay, exactly the opposite of what parents and educators try to teach them.

Not only does research (including the most recent Surgeon General’s report) show a relationship between cinematic smoking and kids starting, there is also a clear dose effect. This means that the more kids see movie smoking, the greater the chance they will start themselves.

You might be surprised how many current movies rated PG-13 or lower contain smoking. Movie studios work hard to get PG-13 ratings, because they know teenagers and kids are a huge part of the movie-going public. They would lose potential box office earnings with an R rating.

But while depictions of sex and graphic violence – even in some cases profanity – automatically trigger an R rating, smoking, which causes more than 480,000 deaths annually in the U.S., does not.

The tobacco industry is well aware of the connection between movie smoking and smoking in real life. For decades, cigarette companies paid to have their brands featured in Hollywood films. Direct product placement is now banned, but it’s still true that no one but the tobacco industry benefits from a favorable cinematic treatment of cigarettes.

Every year adolescents start smoking because they see their favorite actors smoking. Many of them become addicted for a lifetime and the tobacco companies enjoy the profits. Leading health organizations have endorsed ways to address this problem, including requiring any movie with smoking to automatically receive an R rating. This would decrease the number of teens who see smoking in movies during a time in their lives when they are likely to try it.

Youth smoking rates are declining because we have taken steps to decrease tobacco’s visibility in our communities. Smoke-free movies would be a great next step.

New research shows Minnesota’s adult smoking rate has declined to 14.4 percent, the lowest rate ever recorded and a significant decrease from 2010.

The findings come from the Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS). MATS is a major research project examining tobacco use conducted by ClearWay Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health. More than 9,000 Minnesotans were interviewed by telephone in 2014.

The research also found that recent changes helped smokers to quit. Smokers reported that a statewide tobacco price increase in 2013 influenced their smoking behaviors, including making quit attempts, successfully quitting and cutting down on smoking. Among former smokers who quit in the past year, majorities said that the price increase helped them to make quit attempts (62.8 percent) or to stay smoke-free (62.7 percent).

Other findings from MATS 2014 include:

• Smoking rates are highest among those with fewer years of education and lower incomes.
• Men smoke at higher rates than women.
• The smoking rate for young adults (ages 18-24) dropped significantly. This age group had the highest smoking rate in all previous MATS studies. Minnesota’s highest smoking rate by age is now among adults aged 25-44 years old.
• Menthol cigarettes are used by a quarter of all smokers.
• The percent of Minnesota adults using e-cigarettes at least once in the past 30 days increased to 5.9 percent. Most Minnesotans who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days also used conventional cigarettes.
• More Minnesotans are making their homes smoke-free. The percentage of Minnesotans with smoke-free home rules has increased to 89.3 percent. Even 61.4 percent of smokers now have smoke-free home rules.

Released approximately every four years, MATS provides comprehensive information about smoking rates and tobacco-related behaviors among Minnesota adults. Previous surveys were conducted in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2010.

The full report is available at www.mnadulttobaccosurvey.org.

Fact sheet

ClearWay Minnesota is pleased to announce a new community-based funding initiative. The Community Engagement grants initiative will provide funding to nonprofits, American Indian Nations, local government entities and safety-net clinics that work with people of low socioeconomic status (low SES – i.e., people with low income and educational attainment).

The focus of this funding opportunity is to connect low-SES smokers to existing cessation services. ClearWay Minnesota recognizes that community-based organizations and entities understand how to meet the needs of the population(s) they serve. We are interested in working with such organizations to help connect low-SES smokers to existing cessation resources.

Grants are for a 12-month period and range from $10,000-$50,000.

Links to the full Request for Proposals and required forms can be found here.

• A short Letter of Intent that provides an overview of the proposed project is due Tuesday, January 27, 2015, by 4:30 p.m. Central Time.
• Full proposals will be by invitation only following the Letter of Intent review process. Full proposals from qualified applicants are due Tuesday, March 17, 2015, by 4:30 p.m Central Time.

Questions about this funding initiative can be directed to Senior Cessation Manager Carole Specktor at cspecktor@clearwaymn.org or 952-767-1418.

More information

Minnesota tobacco users are being encouraged to make a healthier choice this holiday season – by making their homes smoke-free for the final week of the year.

It’s part of a “mini-quit” – a series of contests aimed at getting smokers ready to quit for good, and to prepare them for next year’s QuitCash Challenge, a month-long quit-smoking contest in May. The mini-quit asks smokers to keep their homes smoke-free from December 24 through December 31.

This is the third “mini-quit” since this summer. September’s challenge asked smokers to stop smoking in their vehicles for an entire week, and November’s asked them not to smoke while drinking during the weekend before Thanksgiving. Names were drawn from the pool of winners, with two lucky Minnesotans receiving gift cards for successfully completing the mini-quits. Research shows the more quit attempts tobacco users make, the more likely they are to succeed.

The winner of December’s mini-quit will be announced on January 6.

Sponsored by ClearWay Minnesota and QUITPLAN Services, The QuitCash Challenge has an even bigger prize. $5,000 will go to one Minnesota smoker who successfully quits for the entire month of May.

One additional mini-quit will follow in the months leading up to the full month-long Challenge in May. Minnesota tobacco users can learn more and register at www.quitcash.com. Free quitting help for Minnesotans is available from QUITPLAN Services (1-888-354-PLAN or www.quitplan.com).