‘You Are Dead’ Anti-Smoking Campaign Raises Cancer Awareness

BY SARAH ABAZA

Nearly one in three Egyptian males above the age of 15 smokes cigarettes, the Tobacco Atlas says, and an estimated 10 per cent of the local population die from tobacco-related cancers.

The Atlas, which was launched in Arabic in Egypt last year, is a global initiative that maps out smoking and tobacco trends and cites medical studies and deaths directly associated with cigarettes, cigars, shisha, etc.

In Egypt, the Atlas says, smoking is the fourth highest cause of death.

In a bid to raise awareness of how smoking is a prevalent health hazard in Egypt, AUC’s Anti Cancer Team (ACT), a club that also works to supports patients and their families, recently launched their Lung Cancer Awareness campaign.

On a global scale, lung cancer accounts for 18 percent of all cancer-related deaths.

According to a 2004 National Cancer Institute study, nearly five per cent of all cancer-related deaths in Egypt are due to lung cancer. It is considered the fourth highest cancer among males in Egypt (bladder cancer is the most common).

ACT’s campaign focused mainly on raising awareness about the harms of smoking in relation to lung cancer by offering students fake cigarettes with the words “you are dead” printed on them.

“We thought of having an idea to help people quit smoking. Actually, some of the people we gave the fake cigarette to responded really [well] and some told us [they] wanted to quit smoking. However, others just neglected it,” said Laila Seif El Din, president of ACT and a business administration junior.

Seif El Din added that she thought the message was really effective since many students want to quit smoking but need motivation.

Sarah El Daramally, ACT multimedia head and business administration senior, said that they wanted to raise awareness about lung cancer in a new, interactive and effective way.

“Whether this campaign will actually drive someone to stop smoking or not, I believe is not less important than delivering the message itself and conveying its harmful effects,” she said.

El Daramally added that the members of ACT had to be careful about the tactics they used in the campaign to ensure its success.

“Our first challenge was how to deliver what we have from facts to people and how to reach them in an interactive, engaging way without leaving them annoyed,” she said.

Some students who were exposed to the campaign found it interesting and beneficial.

“It’s very helpful and would encourage many people who cannot stop smoking to stop if they actually have the will,” said Nada Shahin, integrated marketing and communication senior.

Habiba Hassan, business administration senior, added that although it was clear the cigarettes were fake, she was still intrigued to read was written on the paper and described the campaign as creative and engaging.

However, Omar El Leithy, undeclared sophomore, said he doesn’t think the campaign will encourage smokers to quit.

“It’s not going to make a difference because [smokers] know that it is wrong,” he said.

Another message printed inside the rolled fake cigarette gave students guidelines on how to quit smoking. According to the guide, a smoker should set a date to quit, tell their family and friends, anticipate challenges, throw away all the cigarettes they have and call the national hotline for quitting smoking.

ACT focused on smoking since smoking and inhaling the carcinogens in tobacco smoke cause 87 percent of cases of lung cancer. Second-hand smoking could be equally harmful as well.

ACT will be joining Cairo Runners, a running troupe, in order to spread their message to a larger number of people. They will also hold a blood drive and collect donation during the run.

“We feel proud of doing something like that and that we’re trying to help as many people as possible to stop smoking,” said Seif El Din.