Washington, DC – The District of Columbia Department of Health (DOH) today released a new music video "Nasty" about the many reasons not to use tobacco. The video, created as a teaching tool for teenagers, students from Anacostia Senior High School and was put together through a project of the DC Tobacco Free Families (DCTFF) Campaign, a partnership of DOH, the American Lung Association of DC and the American Cancer Society. DOH funds DCTFF with the District’s tobacco settlement funds.

"Thanks to the hard work of our partners and the students at Anacostia Senior High School we have a new tool in our campaign to educate youth about the dangers of tobacco use," said Dr. Pierre Vigilance, Director of DOH. "The video and song are an entertaining but honest portrayal of the toll smoking can take on someone physically and socially."

The video is part of DCTFF’s goals to reduce tobacco use among DC’s youth by developing strategies and programming with DC youth on tobacco-free messaging, including training youth ambassadors and peer leaders to conduct outreach on the dangers of tobacco addiction.

Steve Fitzhugh, who wrote and performed the song in the video, worked with students at Anacostia High School and Cerebral Lounge, the production company, to come up with the concept and film the video in the Anacostia neighborhood. Members from The House, a youth center in Anacostia, coached, auditioned and provided guidance for the Anacostia Students in the video. The House headquarters also served as a film site.

The video will be used in educational settings and comes with a facilitator’s guide to help teachers and peer leaders lead discussions about the themes and messages of "Nasty". Through the video and discussions, DOH hopes to educate youth about tobacco companies’ strategies to target teenagers and about the consequences of tobacco use.