Massachusetts Medical Society Announces 2004 Anti-Tobacco Poster Contest for Grade School Children

Waltham, Mass. Nov. 21 2003-- On the heels of information that the state has dropped from first in the nation to 40th in its effort to protect children from the dangers of smoking, the Massachusetts Medical Society and its Alliance have announced the details of the Society's 2004 Anti-Tobacco Poster Contest, a statewide program designed to make young people aware of the dangers of tobacco and smoking.
   
The 2004 program marks the ninth year the Medical Society has conducted its anti-tobacco contest, open to youngsters in grades 1 through 6 throughout Massachusetts.
   
"These kinds of programs have become much more important in educating young people about the dangers of tobacco to themselves and others," said Thomas E. Sullivan, M.D., president of the Massachusetts Medical Society and a practicing cardiologist. "As state funding for tobacco prevention efforts has essentially evaporated, we need to reach out to youngsters to persuade them to avoid the tobacco habit."
   
Sullivan cited statistics released just last week by the national Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids that called attention to the rapidly declining funding levels for anti-tobacco efforts across the nation and here in Massachusetts, despite the 1998 landmark settlement of $246 billion with tobacco companies.
   
Figures released by the Campaign show that spending on tobacco prevention efforts in Massachusetts has been slashed from $43.1 million in fiscal year 2001 to $2.5 million in fiscal year 2004. Such spending for prevention efforts in the Commonwealth now accounts for only 0.4 percent of the total annual state revenue from tobacco for FY 2004. The Commonwealth has dropped from first in the country to 40th in its efforts to protect children from the dangers of smoking.

Sullivan said the 2003 poster contest was the Society's most successful ever, attracting a record number of 7,600 entries from children across the Commonwealth, more than three times the number of the previous year.

To enter the competition, students are asked to create an original poster that ties in with certain themes for their grade. The themes by grades are:
Grades 1 and 2: Show how tobacco is bad for your body
Grades 3 and 4: Show how using tobacco affects other people
Grades 5 and 6: Create a poster with the theme, "Save a Heart, Don't Start"

Posters should be 8½ by 11 inches in size, positioned horizontally, on white paper. Entrants should print their name, grade, school, address, telephone, and doctor's name and town on the back of the poster. Students may give the entry to their teacher or doctor to submit, or they may send it directly to Anti-Tobacco Poster Contest, Massachusetts Medical Society, 860 Winter Street, Waltham, Mass. 02451.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, February 27, 2004.   
   
Each poster will be judged on its originality, artistic value, and how well it relates to the theme. Four winning entries are selected in each grade category, and each winner will receive a $50 gift certificate and recognition by the Medical Society on its website and in other printed materials.
   
For more details and directions about the contest, including additional resources about smoking and tobacco, visit the website at www.massmed.org/pages/antitobacco_contest.asp. Directions and entry forms may be downloaded from that site as well.

The Massachusetts Medical Society, with 18,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the physicians and patients of Massachusetts. Founded in 1781, the Society owns and publishes The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal Watch family of professional newsletters, AIDS Clinical Care, and produces HealthNews, a consumer health publication. The Alliance is the organization of physicians' spouses committed to promoting good health among the citizens of Massachusetts and advancing the health and well-being of the medical family.




This article courtesy of http://www.theobjectivist.com.
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in
your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author
name and URL remain intact.

Submit Your Article