CHICAGO (AP) — A new Chicago Department of Public Health public awareness campaign that could become a model elsewhere is aimed at stopping the sale of cigarettes to children.

The Chicago Department of Public Health says the campaign will include ads on trains and buses encouraging residents to call 311 if they see tobacco being sold to a minor.

Officials note that 80 percent of adult smokers took up the habit before they turned 18, and that one in four adults and one in eight high school students in Chicago smoke regularly.

Smoking and exposure to smoke can cause heart and lung problems, including cancer.

Rosemary Krimbel, commissioner of the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, says the campaign should send a message to retailers that selling tobacco to minors is illegal and could hurt kids' health.