No longer neglected by lawmakers, Florida's acclaimed smoking-prevention campaign came back with a splash by airing an ad during Super Bowl XLII, the Associated Press reported Feb. 1.

The $500,000, 30-second ad aired during the NFL championship game; it featured a child tossing a ball without anyone to throw it back, highlighting the fact that about half of the 400,000 people who die each year from smoking-related diseases are fathers. "Each year, smoking leaves 31,000 children fatherless," the ad said.

The Florida campaign was funded by proceeds from the state's share of the 1997 nationwide tobacco settlement. Initially hailed for its effectiveness in preventing teen tobacco use, the campaign faced declining support from state lawmakers until 2006, when state voters approved a plan to change the state constitution and direct legislators to fund stop-smoking programs. In 2008, Florida will spend $58 million on the campaign.