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Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Kansas Foundation Provides $75,000 Grant To Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition For Statewide Ad Campaign On Dangers Of Secondhand Smoke To Youth 

Mary Beth Chambers 785.291.8869

A television advertising campaign aimed at raising awareness to the dangers of secondhand smoke is reaching Kansans across the state, thanks to a partnership between the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment's Tobacco Use Prevention Program and Jones Huyett Partners, and a $75,000 grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation.

"Quitting smoking is the single best lifestyle change a person can make to improve both their own health and the health of those around them," said Graham Bailey, chief operating officer of the BCBSKS Foundation. "However, if someone can't quit for themselves, they should take steps to assure that the people around them are not put at risk. As these two ads remind us, there is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke."

Bailey explained that exposure to cigarette smoke at home and work increases many health risks for non-smoking adults and children. Children of smokers are at a significantly higher risk for developing asthma, pneumonia, ear infections, sudden infant death syndrome, meningitis and learning problems. . . .

Teens with TASK, the statewide youth movement against tobacco, came together from across the state to share ideas on what makes an effective ad, what people should know about secondhand smoke, how to encourage smokers to take smoking outside and how to encourage businesses to become smoke-free. Many of the teens who participated in the project appear in the commercials.

The Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition and the Tobacco Use Prevention Program helped facilitate the project while Jones Huyett Partners, a Topeka advertising agency, produced and placed the ads. The two ads can be viewed at www.bcbsks.com/foundation.

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