BUFFALO, NY - The New York State Department of Health is using federal stimulus dollars to promote its smokers quit line, based at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo.
A new series of television ads, described as "hard hitting", is aimed at tapping the conscience of even the most ardent smokers.
$1.8 million from the Prevention and Wellness fund of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will cover the cost of running the ads in August and September of 2011, as well.
"These hard hitting "why-to-quit" messages create a motivational tension within the smoker resulting in a smoker's emotional decision to make an immediate quit attempt," said Maansi Bansal-Travers Ph.D., a Roswell Park Cancer Institute researcher who tests the effectiveness of ads.
"They grab at the emotions rather than going for a cognitive appeal that, 'hey, smoking is bad'," said Michael Cummings Ph.D., Chairman of the Department of Health Behavior at Roswell.
In one of the ads a surgeon's gloved hand squeezes out thick what is purported to be fatty deposits from the aorta wall of a 32-year-old smoker. In the second, a young child is seen crying in a busy train station when he is briefly separated from his mother, reminding viewers that smoking kills, sometimes resulting in the loss of a child's parent.
Cummings also defended the use of tax dollars to create them.
"It's one of the better returns on investment if you asked me," said Cummings.
Quick to that note people were employed to produce the ads and that television stations will gain revenue by running them, Cummings also contends the taxpayer dollars being spent will save taxpayers money in the long run.
"We end up subsidizing the health care expenses associated with smoking whether you smoke or not," he said.
Most importantly, he contends the money being spent will end up saving lives by convincing smokers to quit.
"We hope people when they see these ads will wake up, pick up the phone, and call for some help. Don't feel ashamed ...and if you live with a smoker who maybe is a little shy about doing it, call us and we'll give you the information you can share," Cummings said.
The ads will begin airing on television stations statewide on August 3rd.
Each ad ends with contact information for the Smokers' Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487).
Click on the video icon to watch the story from 2 On Your Side Reporter Dave McKinley and Photojournalist Bill Boyer
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