Kill the glamour, says WHO

Hollywood, Bollywood and the fashion industry should stop glamorising smoking, says the World Health Organisation.

It has urged them to "stop being used as vehicles of death and disease".

The United Nations body, which is trying to put in place a global anti-tobacco treaty by May, called on the film industry to avoid presenting smoking in a favourable light and on the fashion industry not to use cigarettes as a "fashion accessory".

People under 17 should be barred from watching films in which anyone smokes, cigarette brands should not be identified on screen and cinemas should run strong anti-tobacco advertisements, WHO said.

"If a tobacco product seems macho or feminine, sophisticated or rugged, sexy or sporty, it is because of the marketing around it ... Two of the most successful contexts in which to build these images are film and fashion," it said.

"The world of film and fashion cannot be accused of causing cancer. But they do not have to promote a product that does."

A survey of the Indian film industry, the world's largest, showed that 320 out of 400 recent Bollywood films contained smoking, most portraying it as a cool thing to do.

In India, 5 million people see films every day.

Restrictions on tobacco advertising and sponsorship are key parts of a global treaty to curb smoking, which the WHO's 192 member states are negotiating in Geneva. It would be the world's first public health treaty.



Health officials estimate five million people die from smoking-related illnesses every year.

That figure could double over the next 20 years because of the long development period for lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Seventy per cent of future victims are expected to come from developing countries.


- REUTERS


Herald Feature: Health