LONDON, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- A World Health Organization recommendation that movies with scenes of smoking be given an adult rating has been largely ignored, British researchers say.
Lead author Dr. Christopher Millett of the School of Public Health at Imperial College London said the governments in Britain, the United States and Canada are not only ignoring the 2009 WHO recommendation -- they award generous public subsidies to help underwrite many films that promote youth smoking.
The study, published in the journal PLoS Medicine, found during the study period, the British government gave $76 million a year in tax credits to American films that feature smoking, almost all of which were rated suitable for children and adolescents," Millett said in a statement. "By comparison, the government spent $37 million a year -- less than half as much -- on mass media anti-smoking campaigns."
Research shows young people who are heavily exposed to tobacco imagery in films are about three times more likely than lightly exposed youths to begin smoking, Millett said.
"By promoting smoking in films, the government is seriously undermining tobacco control efforts," Millett said. "We think film subsidy programs should be harmonized with public health goals by making films with tobacco imagery ineligible for public subsidies. This wouldn't cost anything to implement so in the current financial climate it should be an attractive policy option."
