Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Honors Aditya Indla of Union City, CA, As Youth Advocate of the Year

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Sep 27, 2021, 13:53 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aditya Indla, of Union City, CA, has been named a Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Aditya will be honored on September 29, 2021, for his leadership in the fight against tobacco at the Tobacco-Free Kids' annual Youth Advocates of the Year Awards celebration, which is being held virtually this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The event will be livestreamed at tfk.org/awards at 6:00 p.m. EDT.

Aditya has worked tirelessly for a healthier, tobacco-free future. Always eager to get involved and use his voice as a Youth Ambassador with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Aditya has been especially active in his local community, organizing community-wide events, providing education and resources to neighboring schools and circulating petitions to rally young people.

Aditya has a particular affinity for researching the science of tobacco and its harms, currently working in a research lab at the University of California San Francisco's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. He also became interested in addressing tobacco use in the South Asian community, founding the Aegle Project to better learn about cultural challenges to reducing tobacco use, and continues to be involved in supporting California legislation aimed at ending the sale of flavored tobacco products. Aditya testified before the Senate Health Committee, joined the signing ceremony by Governor Gavin Newsom and is working hard to help defeat the tobacco industry's referendum to overturn the law.

"We are thrilled to honor Aditya Indla as a Youth Advocate of the Year," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Aditya's work is far-reaching and he is a strong voice in the fight for a healthier and more equitable future. Young advocates like Aditya are bravely standing up to the tobacco industry and leading the way to the first tobacco-free generation."

Every year, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids honors a National Youth Advocate of the Year, four Individual Youth Advocates of the Year and a Group Youth Advocate of the Year. The winners receive scholarships to continue their tobacco prevention efforts and serve as youth ambassadors for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, killing over 480,000 Americans and costing the nation $226.7 billion in health care bills each year. Tobacco kills more than 8 million people worldwide each year.

In California, tobacco use claims 40,000 lives and costs $13.29 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 2% of California's high school students smoke cigarettes and 10.9% use e-cigarettes.

Additional information about the youth award winners can be found at tfk.org/awards and more resources and information about tobacco can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids