Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 12, 1992 TAG: 9203120262
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short
Peer pressure, parents' actions and curiosity influence children to smoke, said Dr. Nadia Wasylyshyn, director of pediatric psychology at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.
"The closer the stimuli is to the child, the greater the impact," she said. "It falls on parents to give them enough of the good to counteract the bad."
On Monday, Surgeon General Antonia Novello and the AMA demanded that RJR Nabisco scrap its "Old Joe" camel caricature on billboards and in magazine ads for R.J. Reynolds' Camel cigarette brand.
The doctors contend that the cartoon induces children to try smoking.
The cigarette maker denied that the ad campaign is directed at youngsters. "There is nothing that says cartoons are the domain of children," said Peggy Carter, an RJR Nabisco spokeswoman.
She said the company is as concerned as doctors about underage smoking and has launched a campaign to discourage it.
Vicki Swecker, coordinator of health, safety and physical education for Norfolk schools, said tobacco companies "have always tried to make smoking look glamorous." But she said peer pressure is a major influence on students.
Wasylyshyn said cartoon ads may contribute to underage smoking but they are not the cause.
Awareness of the danger of smoking must begin at home, where influence is greatest, she said.
by CNB