By STEVE LeBLANC – 15 hours ago BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts study suggests that restaurant smoking bans may play a big role in persuading teens not to become smokers. Youths who lived in towns with strict bans were 40 percent less likely to become regular smokers than those in communities with no bans or weak ones, the researchers reported in the May issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.The findings back up the idea that smoking bans discourage tobacco use in teens by sending the message that smoking is frowned upon in the community, as well as simply by reducing their exposure to smokers in public places, said Dr. Michael Siegel, of Boston University School of Public Health, and the study's lead author."When kids grow up in an environment where they don't see smoking, they are going to think it's not socially acceptable," he said. "If they perceive a lot of other people are smoking, they think it's the norm."Siegel and his colleagues tracked 2,791 children between ages 12 and 17 who lived throughout Massachusetts. There were no statewide restrictions when the study began in 2001 but about 100 cities and towns had enacted a hodgepodge of laws restricting smoking in workplaces, bars or restaurants.The teens were followed for four years to see how many tried smoking and how many eventually became smokers.Overall, about 9 percent became smokers — defined as smoking more than 100 cigarettes.In towns without bans or where smoking was restricted to a designated area, that rate was nearly 10 percent. But in places with tough bans prohibiting smoking in restaurants, just under 8 percent of the teens became smokers.The study found that having a smoker as a parent or a close friend was a factor in predicting whether children experiment with cigarettes. But strong bans had a bigger influence on whether smoking grew into a habit, reducing their chances of becoming smokers by 40 percent."There is really no other smoking intervention program that could cut almost in half the rate of smoking," Siegel said.Age was also a factor. Smoking bans had a greater effect on younger teens than on older teens.The researchers said it's not clear whether strong bans would have the same effect in other states since local towns adopted their restrictions as part of an aggressive anti-smoking campaign throughout the state.A statewide workplace smoking ban that included restaurants went into effect in mid-2004. Since then, high school smoking rates in Massachusetts have continued to decline, from about 21 percent of students in 2005 to about 18 percent in 2007.Many restaurant owners fought the ban, saying it could drive away diners, according to Janine Harrod, director of government affairs for the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, which represents 2,000 restaurant owners.While some restaurants were hurt initially, the effects have eased over time since the ban applies to everyone, she said.Bill Phelps, a spokesman for Altria, parent company of cigarette-maker Philip Morris USA, said the study shows that the reasons teens take up smoking are complex."There is no single reason why young people engage in risky behaviors like smoking," he said. "We believe that there should be a multifaceted approach to address youth smoking."At least 23 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico require most public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars, to be smoke free, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.Another nine states ban smoking in workplaces but have various exemptions for restaurants or bars."We already have more than enough evidence why we should pass these smoke-free laws, but certainly this study should help push them along," said Danny McGoldick of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Smoking still prominent on campuses nationwide
From the Tobacco Control Network website.
Although high school students are increasingly saying no to smoking, students often pick up the habit in college. According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 31% of full-time college students smoke, while smokers only make up 25% of the general population. College students may be at risk for smoking because of many factors, including the stress of schoolwork, peer pressure, social gatherings, and being in a new environment away from home. Hookah smoking is also a popular trend, evidenced by a recent increase in the number of hookah bars in operation nationally. Click here for the full article.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Virginia Kids "Kick Butts" on April 2
New Poll: Teens Still Feel Targeted By Tobacco Advertising & Find It Easy to Buy Cigarettes
WASHINGTON, DC (March 27, 2008) — Kids across Virginia will rally against tobacco on April 2 as they join thousands of young people nationwide for the 13th annual Kick Butts Day, sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Hundreds of events are planned across the nation.
This year, Kick Butts Day is raising awareness about continued tobacco marketing and sales to kids and the need for Congress to crack down on these harmful practices by passing legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products.
Ten years after the 1998 state tobacco settlement, a new poll conducted for Kick Butts Day 2008 finds that kids still feel targeted by tobacco advertising and still find it easy to buy tobacco products. The national telephone survey of 507 teens (12-17 year olds) and 1,008 adults found:
Three-fourths of teens (74 percent) think tobacco companies want them to smoke, and 70 percent think tobacco companies target them with their advertising.
Teens are twice as likely as adults to remember tobacco advertising. While almost half (47 percent) of teens recalled tobacco advertising from the last two weeks before the survey, only 24 percent of adults did. Among teens who recalled tobacco advertising, the most commonly mentioned source was "in or outside a store."
Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of teens think it is easy for teenagers to buy tobacco products. Among 15-17 year olds, 76 percent think it is easy.
The survey was conducted March 5-10, 2008, by International Communications Research and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points for the teen survey and 3.1 percentage points for the adult survey. A report about the poll findings and the impact of tobacco marketing on youth can be found at: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/kbd2008poll
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Updated Virginia Tobacco Use Statistics
This material is property of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and is used with permission. (View source materials)
Tobacco Use in Virginia
High school students who smoke - 21.7% (91,600)
Male high school students who use smokeless or spit tobacco - 13.3% (females use much lower)
Kids (under 18) who become new daily smokers each year - 10,800
Kids exposed to secondhand smoke at home - 336,000
Packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by kids each year - 18.4 million
Adults in Virginia who smoke - 19.3% (1,126,300)
Nationwide, youth smoking has declined dramatically since the mid-1990s, but that decline appears to have slowed considerably or even stopped in recent years. The 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that the percentage of high school students reporting that they have smoked cigarettes in the past month increased to 23 percent in 2005 from 21.9 percent in 2003. This increase follows a 40 percent decline between 1997, when rates peaked at 36.4 percent, and 2003. The survey also found that 13.6 percent of high school males use spit tobacco. U.S. adult smoking has decreased gradually in the last several decades, and 20.9 percent of U.S. adults (about 45 million) currently smoke.
Deaths in Virginia From Smoking
Adults who die each year from their own smoking - 9,300
Kids now under 18 and alive in Virginia who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking - 152,000
Adult nonsmokers who die each year from exposure to secondhand smoke - 610 to 1,720
Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined -- and thousands more die from other tobacco-related causes -- such as fires caused by smoking (more than 1,000 deaths/year nationwide) and smokeless tobacco use. No good estimates are currently available, however, for the number of Virginia citizens who die from these other tobacco-related causes, or for the much larger numbers who suffer from tobacco-related health problems each year without actually dying.
Smoking-Caused Monetary Costs in Virginia
Annual health care costs in Virginia directly caused by smoking - $2.08 billion
Portion covered by the state Medicaid program - $401 million
Residents' state & federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures - $576 per household
Smoking-caused productivity losses in Virginia - $2.42 billion
Amounts do not include health costs caused by exposure to secondhand smoke, smoking-caused fires, spit tobacco use, or cigar and pipe smoking. Other non-health costs from tobacco use include residential and commercial property losses from smoking-caused fires (more than $500 million per year nationwide); extra cleaning and maintenance costs made necessary by tobacco smoke and litter (about $4+ billion nationwide for commercial establishments alone); and additional productivity losses from smoking-caused work absences, smoking breaks, and on-the-job performance declines and early termination of employment caused by smoking-caused disability or illness (dollar amount listed above is just from productive work lives shortened by smoking-caused death).
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
House Health Subcommittee Acts to Protect Kids and Save Lives
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 11, 2008) – The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health today acted to protect our children and the nation’s health by approving legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products. This is a very strong bill that provides the FDA with ample resources and effective authority to bring about fundamental change that will promote public health.
Today’s subcommittee vote moves Congress a critical step closer to enacting truly historic legislation that can protect our children from tobacco addiction and save countless lives. There are few actions Congress can take that would make a bigger difference for our nation’s health. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, Health Subcommittee Chairman Frank Pallone and U.S. Reps. Henry Waxman and Tom Davis, the bill’s sponsors, have been true champions of public health in moving this legislation forward.
Despite the death and disease they cause, tobacco products are virtually unregulated to protect public health. Tobacco companies take advantage of this lack of regulation to design and market products that entice children, create and sustain addiction to nicotine, and discourage current smokers from quitting, as demonstrated by a report released last month by a coalition of public health organizations (report: www.tobaccofreekids.org/productsreport). The report reveals how tobacco manufacturers have responded to declines in smoking by introducing a new generation of deadly and addictive products, including candy and fruit-flavored products that appeal to kids and products that try to deter smokers from quitting by making unproven and misleading claims that they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes.
The legislation approved today would grant the FDA authority to:
· Restrict tobacco advertising and promotions, especially to children.
· Ban candy-flavored cigarettes.
· Require tobacco companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products, changes to their products and research about the health effects of their products.
· Require changes in tobacco products, such as the removal or reduction of harmful ingredients.
· Prohibit health claims about so-called “reduced risk” products that are not scientifically proven or that would discourage current tobacco users from quitting or encourage new users to start.
· Require larger, more effective health warnings on tobacco products.
· Prohibit misleading terms such as “low-tar,” “light” and “mild.”
The FDA is the right agency to regulate tobacco products because it is the only agency with the combination of regulatory experience, scientific expertise and public health mandate to do the job right. It is also important to note that the legislation would require tobacco companies to pay user fees that would amply fund the FDA’s new tobacco-related responsibilities and ensure they do not impede or take resources from the FDA’s other important work. The legislation also prohibits tobacco manufacturers from claiming that any tobacco product has been approved by the FDA.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Foundations of Prevention Online Course
Foundations of Prevention is an online course offered by the Center for Substance
Abuse Prevention that covers the basic core knowledge of substance abuse prevention,
providing information on prevention principles, approaches, strategies, as well as
guidance for planning effective programs and measuring results. The course consists of
eight instructional units. It may be taken for FREE or continuing education credits are
available through the University of Maryland College Park for $25. To access this
course:
Go to www.samhsa.gov
Click on Center for Substance Abuse Prevention [CSAP] (right column)
Click on Prevention Platform (left column)
Register as a user to utilize the tools
Click on Training at the top of the page
Click on featured Resources
Click on CSAP’s Foundations of Prevention On-Line Course
Follow the prompts to register to take this specific course
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Smoking in Movies Linked to Kids Lighting Up
Many youth-rated films show smoking scenes, study says, and that early exposure influences young people to start the habit.
By Alan Mozes, HealthDay Reporter (HealthDay News)
What's more, the study found that almost 80 percent of the exposure to smoking scenes in movies came through films rated "G," "PG" and "PG-13."
"Movies seen at the youngest ages had as much influence over later smoking behavior as the movies that children had seen recently," said study author Linda Titus-Ernstoff, a pediatrics professor at Dartmouth Medical School.
"And I'm increasingly convinced that this association between movie-smoking exposure and smoking initiation is real," she added. "That's to say, causal. It is quite improbable that the association we see is due to some other influence, some other characteristic inherent in children or parental behavior. The relationship is clearly between movie-smoking and smoking initiation."
The findings are published in the January issue of Pediatrics.
