The ICA is currently launching an up-to-date anti-smoking campaign targeting men, which warns that smoking impairs sexual functioning, and causes impotence, impairs physical performance, causes lung cancer, bladder cancer and other diseases. BBDO Gitam Advertising Agency has worked pro bono to produce this campaign, launched under the tagline "smoking causes impotence", and set to appear in ads in nationally distributed Hebrew, Russian and Arabic-language newspapers.
New Ministry of Health National Cancer Registry statistics indicate a worrisome upward trend in the types of cancers associated with smoking among Arab men, and an increase in some of the cancers among Arab women, apparently due to the fact that they are exposed to passive smoking of men in the family.
This campaign aims to increase awareness among men in general and among Arab men in particular, as in spite of the declining smoking rates in Israel in recent years, many Arab men are still heavy smokers, and they are those who develop more cancers associated with smoking. Consequently, for example, in recent years, there has been a downward trend in urinary tract cancer in all population groups, with the exception of Arab males, among whom an increase has been observed.
This campaign is being launched courtesy of Roche Pharmaceuticals, leader of the "Roche Lends a Hand" Project (Roche-Moshita-Yad), and will run for several weeks, referring readers to the 24-hour ICA Telemeida (teleinformation) hotline.
If you have any questions or wish to receive free informational material on the harmful effects of smoking and ways to quit smoking - please contact the Israel Cancer Association at:
1-800-599-995 or feel free to visit our website at: www.cancer.org.il
Photo of campaign ad attached.