The Education Against Tobacco e.V. (agt) is an initiative of medical students of tobacco prevention founded in 2012 at the University of Giessen by Titus Brinker, which aims to raise awareness to the topic in students of grades 7 and 8. In Germany, about 1,500 medical students are voluntarily organized in the agt. The German initiative has meanwhile produced branches in 14 other countries.
Since 2018, BREATH, the Hanoverian location of the German Center for Lung Research, has supported the work of the association in an ideal and financial way. The overlapping goals also result in cooperations in the form of joint events.
The work of the agt has an enormous impact. Every year about 24,000 school children in the German-speaking countries are informed about tobacco consumption and its consequences. The work of the agt benefits enormously from the comparatively small age difference between students and medical students, both speak "the same language". The students are not perceived by the young people in puberty as stuffy or stiff and can act as good role models. This is also reflected in the smoking prevention approaches of the agt. Instead of just talking about how harmful smoking is, the benefits of non-smoking are given priority. With their Smoker-Face App they appeal, among others. to the vanity of teenagers, because smoking is known to be counterproductive for fresh and clean skin.
The founders have already received the Federal Cross of Merit for their work, now followed by appreciation at European level. Last year, the European Commission awarded outstanding initiatives that promote tobacco prevention and, thus, public health with the European Health Prize for the first time. Under more than 100 projects from Europe, Education against Tobacco e. V. prevailed. Titus Brinker, who now works at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), was awarded the 2nd place prize of 15,000 Euros. The award ceremony took place on November 12th at the annual EU Health Policy Platform in the presence of the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis.
Text: BREATH / CD
Bild: DKFZ / Titus Brinker
the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis presents Titus Brinker, founder and president of Education Againg Tobacco (EAT) with the European Health Prize.