Press release - 30 May 2008

Primary care trusts across Sussex are backing a new £5.2 million campaign that will highlight the affect parents smoking can have on their children taking up the harmful habit too.

Brighton and Hove City Teaching PCT, East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT and Hastings and Rother PCT launched a Smokefree Homes campaign in February this year, urging people not to smoke in the home or car, in order to protect children from second hand smoke.

Now the government is launching an advertising campaign on 2 June - which will run on TV, websites, radio and outdoor media. The TV advertising is set to the music of 'I wanna be like you' from 'The Jungle Book' movie and starts by showing harmless examples of how young children copy their mums and dads as they go about their daily life - relaxing at home, doing household chores and even watching TV. The film then takes a sinister turn and ends with a little girl picking up a crayon to copy her mother as she takes a drag on a cigarette.

Dr. Tom Scanlon, director of public health at Brighton and Hove City Teaching Primary Care Trust and Brighton and Hove City Council said:

"This new campaign shows how children take in what's going on around them. Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do to improve your health but is also an incredibly positive thing to do for the health of those closest to you.

“Living in or visiting a home where people smoke is seriously bad news for children’s health. Children who are exposed to second hand smoke in homes and cars are more likely to die from cot death, develop serious breathing problems such as asthma and develop lung cancer as an adult.

“We would ask people to help by taking our Smokefree Homes pledge. By signing up you are agreeing to protect children and other people, by not smoking in your house or car. If you must smoke, you’re pledging to smoke outside”.

National leading child psychologist and parenting skills expert Dr Pat Spungin, added:

"From a very young age children imitate the behaviour of their parents. The way parents act around their children plays a significant role in shaping how their children will behave in the future. The evidence shows that if parents don't smoke, there is a much greater chance that their children will be non-smokers. The good news is that the NHS has a wide range of free support available to help smokers go smokefree - and by quitting now parents could stop their children from starting."

The public can order stickers, and get a Smokefree certificate by visiting www.smokefreehomeseastsussex.nhs.uk or phoning 01273 545406.