With Saturday’s forecast calling for wet and cloudy conditions throughout the day, the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) has decided to postpone its Smoke-Free Movie Night to Saturday, September 1, 2018.
The Smoke-Free Movie Night is part of the effort by MLHU and its One Life One You youth advocacy group to spread the word that smoking in youth-rated movies is not okay. The Middlesex-London Health Unit, the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc and One Life One You are encouraging families to come to the free Smoke-Free Movie Night now happening on Saturday, September 1, 2018. The free outdoor screening of Sony Pictures’ animated and live-action film Peter Rabbit will be held at the Fairgrounds Recreation Complex in Strathroy. Games, activities, face painting and more get underway at 6:00 p.m., while the film begins at dusk. Families who plan to attend the Smoke-Free Movie Night next Saturday are encouraged to dress warmly and to bring lawn chairs and blankets.
“Our Smoke-Free Movie Nights aren’t just about enjoying a film outdoors with friends and family, they’re also about mobilizing the community to support a change in the way new-release films are rated in Ontario,” says Linda Stobo, Manager of the Health Unit’s Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control Team. “We also gather signatures at these events that go on petitions we present to our local MPPs. With the recent change in government, we have an opportunity to inform our newly-elected officials about the impact that on-screen tobacco use has on influencing children, youth and teens to start smoking.”
A 2014 study that focused on the instances of on-screen tobacco use in the top-grossing films released between 2004 and 2013, found that 86% of the movies depicting tobacco use were youth-rated in Ontario. Not surprisingly, research in this area has also shown that the more children and youth see smoking in movies, the more likely they are to start smoking themselves. For several years, the Health Unit and many other health organizations and agencies have raised awareness about this important issue. These groups are continuing the effort to have smoking and tobacco use cut from youth-rated films, by encouraging the Ontario Film Review Board to give all new movies that show tobacco use an adult rating of 18A.
Media Contact:
Beth Milne, Executive Assistant to the Board of Health and Communications Coordinator, Middlesex-London Health Unit, 519-663-5317 extension 2448 or 519-617-0564 (cell)
Spokesperson:
Linda Stobo, Manager, Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control, Middlesex-London Health Unit