News Release

Students Survey the Saturation of Tobacco Marketing Around Their Schools
NYPIRG Releases Findings in “Overexposed” Report

New York, NY- Tobacco is still the number one cause of preventable death. ¹ Each year, an estimated 443,000 people die prematurely from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke in the United States.² What’s more, the tobacco industry continues to work to attract new customers by spending billions on marketing—about $213.5 million each year in NY alone. While adults have more experience when weighing their options, youth are most vulnerable to Big Tobacco’s flashy and targeted marketing campaigns.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the more tobacco ads kids see, the more likely they are to smoke.³ That’s why it’s troubling that of all the tobacco retailers in the city, three quarters are within mere blocks of a school.⁴ Whether it’s a trip to the corner store, a walk from the bus stop, or a stroll to the library, kids and teens see Big Tobacco rearing its ugly head in ads that present smoking as cool and cigarettes as a perfectly safe and acceptable product.

To stand up against this barrage of marketing and product displays, NYPIRG piloted a public health mentorship program with college and high school students in Flatbush, Tremont, and Flushing.  Together, they are working to combat the tobacco industry’s efforts to lure young people into a lifetime of nicotine addiction. With the help of the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, the mentorship program educated and empowered those most susceptible to tobacco advertising to act in their community while exposing the true nature of Big Tobacco’s advertising strategy.

As part of the program, students conducted a community mapping survey which plotted tobacco advertisements that they observed around their schools. The survey provided a comprehensive picture of tobacco advertising in Flatbush, Tremont, and Flushing, detailed in a report titled Overexposed.

“These survey results serve as a reminder of the abundance of tobacco ads, product displays and other marketing that youth are exposed to in their everyday lives,” said Megan Ahearn, NYPIRG Program Coordinator. “New York City students are overexposed to deceptive tobacco marketing.”

Overexposed found alarming results. Forty-five stores in the three neighborhoods contained at least one tobacco advertisement. A total of 345 tobacco ads were observed within just the small radius around the participating schools, 136 of those were found on the exteriors of the stores.

“Tobacco advertisements and product displays are saturating our communities.  It is no accident that so many are so close to schools and no wonder nearly 90% of adult smokers start before the age of eighteen. We cannot sit idly by while Big Tobacco attracts new replacement smokers, costing both lives and millions of dollars in health care costs in New York,” said Sheelah Feinberg, Executive Director of the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City.    

Tobacco companies have maintained a poor reputation for decades; targeting our youth with ads is a salient reminder of why. Students of all ages across the city are standing together against Big Tobacco’s advertising onslaught.

The full report can be found at www.nypirg.org/health/overexposed/overexposed.pdf. Here are some additional highlights from Overexposed:

• NYPIRG staff and student volunteers surveyed 45 stores.

• 24 stores were in Flatbush (53%)
• 12 stores were in Tremont (27%)
• 9 stores were in Flushing (20%)
• Number and type of store in which a tobacco ads were observed:
• 31 Corner Store/Bodegas
• 5 gas stations
• 3 pharmacies
• 3 grocery stores
• 2 smoke shops
• 1 non-food retail store

• Surveyors observed 136 tobacco ads on the exteriors of store buildings.
• Of the 136 total exterior ads, 107 ads were observed in the Flatbush area, 15 ads were observed in the Tremont area, and 14 ads were observed in the Flushing area.
• Surveyors observed 209 total tobacco ads on the interior of stores.
• Of the 209 total interior ads, In Flatbush, 120 ads were observed in Flatbush, 46 ads were observed in Tremont, and 43 ads were observed in Flushing.
  

ABOUT NYPIRG

The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) is New York State's largest student-directed research and advocacy organization. Our principal areas of concern are environmental protection, consumer rights, higher education, government reform, voter registration, mass transit and public health. We are a nonpartisan, not-for-profit group established to effect policy reforms while training students and other New Yorkers to be advocates. Since 1973, NYPIRG has played the key role in fighting for more than 150 public interest laws and executive orders.  NYPIRG has a long and successful history protecting New Yorkers of all ages from the negative effects of smoking, from targeted marketing to smoke-free spaces. NYPIRG is working with the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, a health advocacy group that works throughout the five boroughs to increase awareness of tobacco control issues among community members and stakeholders. www.nypirg.org, www.nycsmokefree.org