RD117 - Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation 2008 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
Ten years ago, the General Assembly created the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation to prevent and reduce youth smoking statewide.

A decade later, we are thrilled to announce that tobacco use among Virginia’s youth is at an all-time low. Last September, VTSF released the results of the latest Virginia Youth Tobacco Survey. This scientific survey of more than 2,600 public middle and high school students statewide found that the percentage of high school students has dropped from 28.6 percent in 2001 to 15.5 percent in 2007 – well below the national average of 20 percent!

VTSF attributes Virginia’s continuing decline in youth smoking to our multifaceted approach to prevention. Our educational programming in schools, youth centers and faith-based organizations statewide has reached more than 800,000 children across the Commonwealth over the last decade. Furthermore, VTSF’s award-winning “Y” campaign has enjoyed an awareness level of about 75 percent among Virginia teens for more than five years, reaching out to youth in new and entertaining ways through television and radio ads, volunteer youth groups, youth events and Internet sites. VTSF also funds retailer compliance checks to ensure that youth under age 18 can’t illegally purchase tobacco products, as well as providing funding for cutting-edge university research that is finding new, more effective ways to reduce and eliminate youth tobacco use.

Despite all our successes, VTSF must remain ever-vigilant in our goal of eliminating under-age smoking. After all, about 80 percent of today’s adult smokers started smoking as teens, many in middle school.

As VTSF enters its second decade, we hope to see youth smoking decline even more as we continue to stay on top of youth culture and continue guiding Virginia’s young people to make smart, healthy lifestyle choices.