There are two main target groups in the health promotion work of the Cancer Society of Finland: adults interested in reducing their risk of cancer, and broad-based health promotion among youth. The CSF, together with regional member associations and the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, has been carrying out out online health promotion training for the advice service’s nurses during 2016-2017. In 2016, we started ‘morning coffee’ health promotion sessions using Skype between the main office and the regional advice service’s nurses. Youth health promotion: ‘tobacco work’ The focus of youth health promotion, which is funded by the Finnish Slot Machine Association, RAY (from the beginning of 2017 STEA, the Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations) for over 15 years, has been to prevent young people from starting smoking and using nicotine and support to help them quit.. Fressis In 2016 a new integrated communications entity encouraging healthy lifestyles for young people was developed and realized. Called Fressis, the package includes a website, social media, and a print magazine that comes out annually. The Fressis magazine replaces the previous Käry magazine, and serves as a business card for the online package. The target group for the 2016 issue of the magazine was vocational learners, and the magazine was distributed in colleges, youth clubs, youth hobby venues, and together with youth magazines. Fressis encourage nicotine-free living and health life styles. Apart from staying away from nicotine products, Fressis covers such issues as nutrition, exercise, sexual health, and your daily rhythm from a life management point of view. The themes covered in 2017 are being broadened to include alcohol, protection from sun exposure, and positive mental health. Voice of dependence The Voice of Dependence is a campaign about nicotine dependence, in which Ossi, who has throat cancer, sings in a video and considers how he shouldn’t have taken up smoking. The video was marketed mainly in 2016. e-cigarette campaigns A campaign on e-cigarettes was conducted in 2016 aimed at the parents of young people. The idea was to inform parents about the dangers of e-cigarettes. The campaign was carried out on 94 radio stations, which broadcast five different messages over a two-week period. Nicotine-free amis Nicotine-free amis (nicotine-free vocational college) is a project using social marketing methods, the target group of which is trainee car mechanics and nurses at the Omina upper secondary and vocational training college. The project is a follow-on from the Tupakatta paras amiksessa (Best without tobacco at vocational college) project, which focused on the whole college. #nuuskaonsyöpä In summer 2016, a campaign was carried out in the Swedish border area at Haaparanta, at the ports of Helsinki and Turku and on social media urging people not to bring Swedish snuff with them to give to young people. The campaign was run under the moniker #nuuskaonsyöpä (#nuuskaiscancer). Detecting tobacco products and intoxicants in youth work and youth workplaces Detecting tobacco products and intoxicants in youth work and youth workplaces was a research and development project conducted in 2015 and 2016, the final report of which was completed in 2016 and published in January 2017. The aim is to develop a working model on tobacco and intoxicants starting with young people and with their participation in targeted youth work and for youth in other learning and operating environments. Promoting non-smoking in the Finnish Defence Forces In 2016 the CSF continued as a partner in the project coordinated by the Finnish Ling Health Association (Filha) to promote non-smoking in the Defene Forces. The CSF continued with the campaign ‘GAME OVER – play something else than with your health’ in collaboration with military bases. Illegal imports and sales of Swedish snuff The report done in 2015 on the import and illegal sale of Swedish snuff was repeated in 2016 with respect to the matter of importation, because the new Tobacco Act substantially altered import regulations. UV protection Providing instructions on protection from the sun was the main activity in terms of promoting healthy sun habits and preventing skin cancer. The primary target group of the campaigning work done in 2016 was young people doing outdoors work during the summer. The campaign approached employers who hire young workers to perform outdoor work in summer, and sent employers an info pack that contained a PowerPoint presentation on protecting the skin from sun exposure, working guidelines, a copy of the video Under the Sun, and a poster to put up in breakrooms. The video was also marketed directly to young people on social media. The CSF also participated in the Euromelanoma campaign’s key event at the Skin and Allergy Hospital of the Helsinki University Central Hospital, and distributed publicity on sun protection to pharmacies. Each year the CSF holds a press conference on healthy sun habits in cooperation with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority. The CSF bore the main responsibility for arranging the event in 2016, and the themes focused on were melanoma statistics and sun protection for the young. Nutrition, exercise, weight management and sexual health Nutrition, exercise and weight management The Hyvä päivä (Good Day) pilot project, carried out with the City or Kajaani and the Kainuu Martha home economics organisation, continued in 2016. The project aims to increase knowledge, skills and capability among under-25-year-olds who are not employed or studying about healthy lifestyles in life management, and to thereby reduce the risk of getting cancer and other common diseases. The pilot project was broadened in 2016 to include Kuopio and Joensuu, with funding by, among others, LähiTapiola insurance company. Alcohol A brochure on Alcohol and Cancer was produced at the end of 2016 and distributed to regional associations and elsewhere. Sexual health The Kesäkumi festival (Summer rubber) involves a campaign to improve awareness of STDs and how to protect against them, and to increase condom use. The campaign is carried out in cooperation with the Family Federation of Finland, the Finnish Red Cross, the radio station YleX, and the Soldiers’ Home Association. About 170 000 condoms were distributed during the festival and at other youth events in 2016. Young people can also take part in the ‘naimamaisteritesti’ (fuck masters) sexual health test, the prize for which is a ‘naimamaisteripinssi’ (fuck masters badge). Also, young men starting military service received a ‘holiday condom’. Some 30 000 condoms were distributed in the Defence Forces. In 2016 the performers of the Kesäkumi song, chosen each year to be performed and played at the festival and on the radio, were the dance music duo Tungevaag & Raaban feat. Venior. Collaboration The CSF was actively engaged in 2016 in establishing the Nicotine-free Finland network. Joint work continued between the CSF and the sports organization Valo on reducing the use of Swedish snuff in sport. There was also cooperation with the Finnish Heart Association, the Finnish Association for Mental Health, and the Martha organisation. The CSF took part in nearly 20 different collaborative projects on health promotion, including the Child Health Forum and the steering groups of the Tobacco-free Finland 2030 and Tobacco-free Helsinki programmes. The CSF was also on the steering groups of many other health promotion steering groups, including the tobacco, alcohol and nutrition working groups of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and various other actors.
