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What’s New: See what’s new in the field of tobacco prevention and control.
Events
2008 Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention & Control Conference:
Accelerating Change with Best Practices
November 18-19, 2008
Madison, WI
The 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health
March 8-12, 2009
Mumbai, India
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Publications
The world's heaviest-smoking countries
Financial magazine Forbes has compiled a photographic tour of countries with the highest smoking rates in the world. In addition, the negative economic impact of smoking was calculated in terms of the amount of the nation’s gross national income lost to smoking. Most developing countries do not incur their economic burden from national medical programs (such as Medicare) that address smoking-related health conditions, since these programs simply do not exist. Rather, these countries’ economic burden stems from years of productivity lost to early deaths from smoking.
Tobacco policy in American prisons, 2007
Studies have shown that smoking rates are higher among prison inmates than the general population. A survey of 52 U.S. departments of correction was conducted in 2007 to explore changes in prison tobacco policies over time. Sixty percent of prisons reported a total tobacco ban on prison grounds, while 27 percent had indoor bans on tobacco use. There were no reports of prison riots resulting from implementation of stricter tobacco policies, but multiple respondents reported that tobacco products became the dominant contraband item following ban implementation. Tobacco cessation programs were much more common among prison systems with indoor tobacco bans (86%) than those with complete tobacco bans (39%). The researchers suggest that to promote long term cessation, tobacco cessation programs should be continued in prisons with total tobacco bans. This research article was published online in the July 4, 2008 issue of Tobacco Control.
The impact of tobacco advertising bans on consumption in developing countries
Researchers analyzed the effects of tobacco advertising bans in thirty countries. Findings showed that restrictions on tobacco advertisements and promotions cause significant declines in smoking rates. Comprehensive policies are more effective in reducing tobacco consumption than limited advertising restrictions. Comprehensive advertising bans caused per capita cigarette consumption to drop 23.5%, while partial bans caused a 13.6% decline. Advertising restrictions made more of a difference in developing countries because tobacco marketing makes up a larger segment of the advertising in those countries, the researchers speculate. The researchers note that in richer countries, tobacco advertisements are more easily ignored among ads for other products, but tobacco is one of the only products advertised in poorer countries. Click here for a summary of the research. Click here to view the abstract of the article, which appears in the July 2008 Journal of Health Economics.
Study supports health benefits of smoking ban
A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that smoking bans have positive effects on cardiovascular health that extend to nonsmokers. Researchers found a 17% overall drop in hospital admissions for heart attacks and acute coronary events following a 2006 smoking ban, with 67% of that reduction in hospitalizations seen in nonsmokers. The ability of this study to demonstrate the effects of secondhand smoke is especially strong because researchers tested the patients’ blood and saliva for cotinine, a nicotine byproduct, as they were admitted to hospitals. The tests showed that the hospitalized nonsmokers had higher cotinine levels than the general population, which shows that smoke was affecting their health. However, their cotinine levels were lower than prior to the smoking ban, indicating that the ban had improved air quality. Click here for more information, or click here to view the abstract of the study.
Smoking prevalence among women of reproductive age — United States, 2006
According to 2006 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), there are vast state-to-state differences in smoking prevalence among women of reproductive age (18-44). The national median smoking prevalence was 22.4% with a range of 5.8% in the U.S. Virgin Islands to 34.7% in Kentucky. Current smoking prevalence was highest among non-Hispanic whites, those with a high school education or less, and divorced, widowed, or separated women. These variations are likely due to differences in socioeconomic determinants of smoking, differing social norms around tobacco use and, variation in implementation of tobacco control programs and policies in states. The prevention and reduction of tobacco use among women of reproductive age are essential to reducing the burden of reproductive health complications from smoking, adverse health effects of children’s exposure to secondhand smoke, and improvement in the life expectancy of the women themselves. The findings were published in the August 8 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Healthcare provider reminder systems, provider education, and patient education: Working with healthcare delivery systems to improve the delivery of tobacco-use treatment to patients—An action guide
This evidence-based tool from Partnership for Prevention® and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is for public health practitioners, healthcare providers, and others interested in increasing delivery of tobacco-use treatment in clinical settings. Links to tools and resources, tips for implementation and overcoming potential obstacles, suggested resource needs, and questions and potential data sources for evaluation planning are also included.
Secondhand smoke raises stroke risk for spouses
While it is common knowledge that smoking is a health hazard, findings from a recent study strengthen the evidence that regular exposure to secondhand smoke can also increase one’s cancer risk. Researchers found that nonsmokers married to smokers were at an increased stroke risk compared to nonsmokers who spouses had never smoked. Former smokers married to a current smoker faced an even higher risk of stroke. These findings are similar to those from a similar National Institute on Aging study. It is unclear how soon after one quits smoking that their spouse experiences health benefits, but researchers speculate that their health risks should drop relatively quickly. The study will be published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Smokeless tobacco ups oral cancer risk 80 percent: WHO
To help resolve differences of scientific opinion on the relative risks of smokeless tobacco products compared to cigarettes, the World Health Organization conducted a review of recent research on health risks for smokeless tobacco users. The researchers looked at 11 studies from around the world, and found that smokeless tobacco users face an 80% higher risk of oral cancer than nonsmokers. Smokeless tobacco use also raises the risk of developing esophageal and pancreatic cancer by 60%. Findings on lung cancer risk were inconclusive. The report concludes that a smokeless tobacco user’s overall cancer risk is lower than a smoker’s, but higher than that of a tobacco-free individual. The study was published in the July issue of Lancet Oncology. Click here to access the full article. Click here for a brief summary of the findings.
Competitions and incentives for smoking cessation
Material or financial incentives are often provided to smokers as motivation for them to quit their habit. The Cochrane Review performed a review of the existing research on the effectiveness of such approaches in increasing long-term (at least six months) quit rates. Regardless of the nature of the incentive, quit rates for those with an incentive did not differ from the quit rates of a control group that did not have an incentive. Although incentives did not affect quit rates, there was evidence that incentives could increase recruitment numbers for smokers joining cessation programs. Therefore, enrollment incentives could be effective in raising participation rates, which would result in a larger absolute number of successful quitters.
Study finds manipulation of menthol levels
Scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health have issued a research report maintaining that tobacco companies have changed menthol levels in their cigarettes, and that brands that adapt their menthol levels are able to more successfully attract and addict young customers. The researchers performed a review of tobacco industry documents, market research, and a national survey of tobacco use, and used laboratory tests of cigarettes to determine how menthol levels have changed over time. They found that younger smokers prefer a mild menthol sensation, which masks the harshness of cigarettes, while long-term smokers usually enjoy a strong rush of menthol flavor. Knowing this, tobacco companies have manipulated the menthol content in their cigarettes to sell their products to young adults. In light of these findings, the researchers recommend FDA regulation of tobacco products, including provisions on menthol flavoring. Click here to access the article in the American Journal of Public Health. Click here for a response to this study from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids that urges FDA regulation of tobacco products.
Fewer nonsmokers breathe cigarette fumes, CDC says
American adults’ secondhand smoke exposure has decreased significantly since the 1990s, based on data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1988 and 2004. However, half of adult nonsmokers are still exposed to secondhand smoke. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, 84% of adults surveyed by the CDC had detectable levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, in their blood. Between 1999 and 2004, only 46% of nonsmokers tested positive. Researchers found disparate rates of secondhand smoke exposure based on race; Blacks were considerably more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke than whites or Mexican Americans. Also, little progress has been made in reducing children’s secondhand smoke exposure. Click here to read the full report in the CDC publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Cigarette use among high school students - United States, 1991–2007
Tobacco surveillance data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the decline in current tobacco use among youths seen between 1997 and 2003 has stagnated. “Current tobacco use” was defined as having smoked on at least one day during the month before the survey. After an increase in the prevalence of tobacco use from 1991-1997, tobacco use decreased from 36.4% in 1997 to 21.9% in 2003. Since 2003, tobacco use has remained steady. In order to achieve the 2010 national health objective of reducing current smoking among youths to 16% or less, the annual decline in smoking seen between 1997 and 2003 must resume. For this to happen, the CDC suggests full implementation of comprehensive prevention efforts, including countermarketing, excise tax increases, and school- and community-based policies and programs.
The growing link between quitlines and chronic disease programs
The North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC) has released a new report on the results of its 2007 survey of state-funded tobacco quitlines. Because smoking is associated with a variety of chronic diseases, and there is a growing interest in integrating quitline services with chronic disease programs, the NAQC survey examined the existing linkages between quitlines and chronic disease programs. Of all respondents, nearly all indicated that they had developed partnerships with chronic disease programs--mostly diabetes, cancer, and asthma programs. The most common type of cooperation between was promotion of quitline services to staff and clients of complementary programs. The most common benefits of these collaborations were increased quitline calls from patients with chronic diseases, and increased awareness among chronic disease program staff and clients of quitline services.
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New Resources
Updated list of state cigarette tax rates and rankings
The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids has updated its resources on state and local tobacco tax rates. Several fact sheets have been updated as of August 1. New data are available on a wide variety of topics including state tobacco tax rates and rankings, a state by state listing of pregnancy-related benefits and cost savings from raising cigarette taxes, and state revenue gains from tobacco taxes. Click here to download a listing of state cigarette tax rates and rankings.
State legislated actions on tobacco issues: 2008 mid-term report
This report from the American Lung Association summarizes recent changes in tobacco policy through the end of the 2008 state legislative sessions. The report notes that fewer states are passing new smokefree laws than in previous years. This year, only two states have passed measures to strengthen their laws. In addition, despite increases in payouts from the Master Settlement Agreement, state funding for tobacco control is leveling off or declining. On a positive note, eight states have passed laws to increase the fire safety of cigarettes this year.
How to make a condo complex smokefree
The Technical Assistance Legal Center (TALC) has just released a new fact sheet showing how California condo owners can make part or all of their complex smokefree. Many people who live in multi-unit housing are exposed to unwanted secondhand smoke in their homes. In condos, where each unit is owned separately, addressing this problem can be especially challenging. This fact sheet outlines three approaches to restricting smoking in a condo complex and compares the pros and cons of each.
The role of the media in promoting and reducing tobacco use
This report provides the most current and comprehensive summary of the scientific literature regarding the power of the media both to encourage and to discourage tobacco use. The report is part of the National Cancer Institute’s Tobacco Control Monograph series examining critical issues in tobacco prevention and control. It is an exceptional new resource for those working on tobacco counter-marketing campaigns. The monograph recognizes key ways the nation can reduce tobacco consumption through mass media and makes important conclusions about how that can be accomplished. Based on a review of over 1,000 research articles, the report concludes that tobacco marketing does increase tobacco use, but mass media countermarketing campaigns and bans on tobacco advertising work to reduce tobacco use. Click here to read a press release from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, or click here to access the NCI website, which includes translations of the monograph in several languages, a media toolkit, and fact sheets tailored to the media, the general public, and policymakers.
Innovations in building consumer demand for tobacco cessation products and services
This guide to marketing from the Academy for Educational Development provides strategies to help healthcare and marketing professionals increase the demand for and use of tobacco cessation treatments. The guide instructs that smokers should be viewed as consumers, and that tobacco control professionals must market and adjust evidence-based cessation therapies to meet the needs of smokers--their customers.
Revised model ordinance for tobacco retail licensing
The Technical Assistance Legal Center (TALC) is pleased to introduce a revised model ordinance for communities that wish to use licensing as a tool to encourage compliance with laws that apply to tobacco sales. The most significant change in the revised licensing ordinance is that TALC has drafted a series of 12 optional “plug-in” provisions to supplement the ordinance, each of which provides a different policy option. For example, one “plug-in” prohibits tobacco retailing in a residential zone, while another prohibits the sale of tobacco in businesses that allow smoking on the premises. As always, the revised ordinance can be adopted essentially “as is” by communities that want to adopt a basic licensing ordinance with all the essential components. Communities that want to include additional policies can incorporate as many of the plug-in provisions as they want. (Note that the plug-ins cannot be adopted independently -- they can only be incorporated into the model ordinance.) Click here to download copies of the revised ordinance and plug-ins from TALC’s website.
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- United States, 2007
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System is a school-based survey that measures the prevalence of health risk behaviors among youths in grades 9-12, including smoking. Tobacco use remains among the top causes of morbidity and mortality for American youths. The YRBS data describes current and past smoking behavior by state, gender, ethnicity, and school grade level.
NAQC Policy Playbook
The North American Quitline Consortium has released this new resource to promote the availability of quitline services as more and more smoke-free laws and tobacco taxes are implemented nationwide. The toolkit is intended to compliment the policy-oriented Toolkit for Implementing Smoke-free Laws (www.goingsmokefree.org). The NAQC Policy Playbook offers information to raise awareness among policymakers about the role of quitlines as smoke-free policies are implemented. The playbook is also a resource to inform the quitline community of the tools available in the Toolkit for Implementing Smoke-free Laws and the steps for successfully implementing smoke-free policies.
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Websites
TTAC web calendar
TTAC has created an interactive calendar featuring public tobacco events, meetings, and conferences held at national, regional, and local levels. To have an event posted, email the details to ttac@sph.emory.edu with subject “Add calendar event”. Please include title, date, time, location and any contact information. If you have a website link and/or a flyer, please send those as well, and we will include a link in the post.
Broad tobacco regulation bill clears House
In a 326-102 vote, the House approved a bill that would bring tobacco products under FDA regulation. The Senate is expected to weigh in on the bill in the fall. Supporters of the bill say that FDA regulation of tobacco products could reduce youth smoking, decrease smoking rates, and lower healthcare costs associated with smoking. According to a statement from the White House, the bill may face a presidential veto due to “serious concerns” about the legislation, specifically regarding the workload that the law would impose on the already-overburdened FDA. Click here to read a press release from The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, which links to a roll-call showing how each legislator voted on the measure.
U.S. smoking rate still coming down
According to a Gallup poll, the U.S. smoking rate among adults has decreased over the past decade. In the past few years, the percentage of adults reporting that they have smoked in the past week has been at its lowest ever. In three of Gallup’s four surveys during the past year, smoking rates stayed among their lowest ever, between 20 and 21%. However, 67% of smokers consider themselves addicted to cigarettes, and 74% would like to give up smoking. Smoking continues to be most common among younger adults, those between ages 18 and 29. An encouraging finding was that less young people are starting to smoke; fewer young adults are reporting that they have ever been smokers. Forty two percent of adults aged 18-29 have ever smoked, versus 56% of those 65 and older.
Brussels proposes EU tax hike on cigarettes
The European Commission has issued a recommendation that the minimum excise tax on cigarettes should increase due to inflation in the European Union’s 27 member countries. The current minimum tax rules have been in place since the 1970s, and are driven by the price of the most popular brand of cigarettes in each country, leading to large disparities in prices across borders. The price differences have led to cigarette smuggling and cross-border shopping, according to EU tax commissioner Laszlo Kovacs. The European Commission’s new plan would result in tax increases ranging from 6% to 46% among member states of the EU--a disparate burden that could cause tension among member states. Nonetheless, the plan would be beneficial for public heath, as cigarette price increases are proven to lower smoking rates. The plan would also raise tax rates for roll-your-own tobacco, a product that has remained inexpensive despite rising cigarette taxes.
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Call for Proposals and Announcements
2009 National Conference on Tobacco or Health Call for Abstracts
The National Conference on Tobacco or Health will take place June 10-12, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. A call for abstracts and submission instructions will be issued on the conference website in September. Abstracts will be accepted from September 2 through November 14, 2008.
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