The help programme

MOVING TOWARDS A SMOKE-FREE EUROPE

THE EUROPEAN UNION HAS MADE THE FIGHT AGAINST SMOKING ONE OF ITS TOP PUBLIC HEALTH PRIORITIES. TOBACCO-RELATED DISEASES ARE THE SINGLE LARGEST CAUSE OF DEATH IN EUROPE TODAY. TOBACCO ACCOUNTS FOR OVER 650,000 DEATHS EVERY YEAR IN THE EUROPEAN UNION, I.E. ONE DEATH OUT OF SEVEN. THIS FIGURE INCLUDES 19,000 DEATHS FROM PASSIVE SMOKING AND THESE PEOPLE HAVE NEVER EVEN SMOKED!

The “Help - for a life without tobacco” programme
On May 31st 2009, World No Tobacco Day, the European Commission launched the second phase of its large media campaign aimed at tobacco prevention and cessation and informing about the dangers of passive smoking in the 27 European Union Member States, following on from the initial four year campaign carried out from 2005 to 2008. Conceived with a specific focus on young people, the European Commission´s campaign “HELP – For a life without tobacco” is one of the largest public health awareness-raising initiatives ever organised in the world.
The “Help” campaign aims to offer help not to take up smoking, to quit smoking, or to address passive smoking.

The challenge
To deliver a unique, consistent and powerful communication solution to effectively reach young people across the 27 EU Member States and encourage a move towards tobacco denormalisation.

An integrated participative communication campaign to reach out to and involve European Youth
Young people (15-34 year-olds), and particularly the socially disadvantaged, are the main target of the Help campaign. Their attitude is crucial in the “denormalisation of smoking” as a trend in Europe. The Help campaign includes the broadcasting of television spots on national and pan-European channels and adverts on young people´s favourite websites, the publication of press articles in the national media and a series of high profile media events.
Driving people to the dedicated Help website (www.help-eu.com ), where they can find information and advice, is the focus of all media activities.

Building partnerships
The Help campaign is an example of a unique cooperation since it is designed and conducted in partnership with Youth Organisations including the European Youth Forum, the International Federation of Medical Students´ Associations (IFMSA) and the European Medical Students Association (EMSA), communication experts, tobacco control professionals from the European Network for Smoking Prevention (ENSP) and the European Network of Quitlines (ENQ).

Scientific monitoring and independent evaluation
An Advisory Board of tobacco control experts, chaired by Prof. Gerard Hastings of the University of Stirling, supervises the campaign development and ensures the scientific accuracy of its messages. The campaign is also systematically pre and post-tested by Ipsos, the survey-based market research company. Interviews with 26 000 Europeans following the broadcast of the TV campaign are the basis for in-depth evaluation of the impact of the “Help” message across Europe.