Did you know?
According to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, the more states spent on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, the larger the declines in adult smoking. If every state had funded their programs at the levels recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control from 1995 to 2003, there would have been between 2.2 million and 7.1 million fewer smokers in the United States by 2003. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids estimates that such smoking declines would have saved between 700,000 and 2.2 million lives and between $20 billion and $67 billion in health care costs.
|
|
New Survey Shows Slow Decline in Youth Smoking, Troubling Increase Shown In the Midwest In Smokeless Tobacco Use
LINCOLN, NE (December 14, 2009) – The 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey released today by the National Institute of Drug Abuse shows that the nation continues to make gradual progress in reducing youth smoking, but declines have slowed significantly compared to the dramatic gains early in the decade. In especially troubling news, the survey also finds that smokeless tobacco use has increased among 10th and 12th graders in recent years, a period during which tobacco companies have introduced a slew of new smokeless tobacco products and significantly increased marketing for smokeless tobacco.
In the Midwest, the rate of smokeless tobacco use among 12th graders was reported at 14.1 percent in 2009, which compares to a rate of 7.2 percent in 2008. The rate of cigarette smoking among the Midwest was reported at 25.7 percent in 2009 compared to 22.1 percent in 2009.
The use of proven strategies has caused smoking rates nationwide (the percentage who have smoked in the past 30 days) to decline by 69 percent among 8th graders, 57 percent among 10th graders and 45 percent among 12th graders since peaking in the mid-1990s. Before the recent increase, youth smokeless tobacco use also declined significantly from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s.
This increase coincides with the introduction of numerous new smokeless tobacco products and a big increase in smokeless tobacco marketing. In recent years, the top two U.S. cigarette manufacturers, Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds, have entered the smokeless tobacco market both by purchasing existing smokeless tobacco companies and introducing new smokeless tobacco products. These new products have included Marlboro snus and Camel snus that married the names of these companies’ best-selling and most youth-popular cigarette brands to spitless, pouched smokeless tobacco products called snus. In 2008, R.J. Reynolds began test-marketing new dissolvable smokeless tobacco products called Camel Sticks, Strips and Orbs that look like gum and candy and come in “fresh” and “mellow” flavors. These new products no doubt appeal to kids because they are easy to conceal, carry the names of youth-popular cigarette brands and come in candy-like forms and flavors. In addition, more traditional smokeless tobacco products continue to be marketed in a wide variety of kid-friendly candy and fruit flavors.
There has also been a big increase in smokeless tobacco marketing. According to the latest data from the Federal Trade Commission, smokeless tobacco marketing expenditures totaled $354.1 million in 2006, an increase of 53 percent since 2004 and 143 percent since 1998. Smokeless tobacco marketing rose even as cigarette marketing fell slightly from 2003 to 2006. While most cigarette brands have stopped advertising in magazines with large youth readerships such as Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone, many smokeless tobacco brands continue to advertise in these publications, most notably R.J. Reynolds’ Camel snus. Also, more than 60 percent of smokeless marketing is spent on price discounts (including coupons) that make smokeless tobacco products more affordable and appealing to price-sensitive youth customers.
The Monitoring the Future survey also found a decrease in recent years in the percentage of 10th and 12th graders who perceive regular smokeless tobacco use as a great risk to health. This decline in risk perception comes as some smokeless tobacco companies have sought to portray their products as a less hazardous alternative to cigarettes. Rather than reducing the harm caused by tobacco use, the 2009 Monitoring the Future survey indicates that the main consequence of current smokeless tobacco products and marketing is to increase the number of youth who use smokeless tobacco
Smokeless tobacco, as traditionally sold in the U.S., has been found to increase risk of oral cancer, gum disease and cardiovascular disease. Constant exposure to tobacco juice has also been linked to cancer of the esophagus, pharynx, larynx, stomach and pancreas.
Tobacco use causes more than 400,000 preventable deaths and costs the nation nearly $200 billion in health expenditures and lost productivity each year.
More information on the Monitoring the Future survey can be found at www.monitoringthefuture.org.
National Report Ranks Nebraska 23rd in Protecting Kids from Tobacco Lincoln, NE (December 9, 2009) –Nebraska ranks 23rd in the nation in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a national report released by a coalition of public health organizations.
Nebraska currently spends $4.2 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is 19.7 percent of the $21.5 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last year, Nebraska ranked 30th, spending $4 million on tobacco prevention.
“Tobacco use remains Nebraska’s number one preventable cause of death, and our state can be doing more to reduce its devastating toll,” said Cindy Jeffrey, Executive Director of the Nebraska-based Health Education Inc.. “Money spent to reduce tobacco use leads to healthier Nebraskans and savings in the pocketbook, too, in fewer tobacco-related health care costs.”
Other key findings for Nebraska include:
- Nebraska this year will collect $110 million from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 3.9 percent of it on tobacco prevention programs.
- The tobacco companies spend $72.1 million a year to market their products in Nebraska. This is 17 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.
The annual report on states’ funding of tobacco prevention programs, titled “A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 11 Years Later,” was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
In addition to falling short in funding tobacco prevention, Nebraska’s cigarette tax is only 64 cents per pack, which is 38th in the nation and well below the national average of $1.34 per pack. Increasing the cigarette tax is a proven way to reduce smoking, especially among kids.
In Nebraska, 22.3 percent of high school students smoke, and 1,900 more kids become regular smokers every year. Each year, tobacco claims 2,200 lives and costs the state $537 million in health care bills.
The report warns that the nation’s progress in reducing smoking is at risk unless states increase funding for programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit. The United States has significantly reduced smoking among both youth and adults, but the CDC’s most recent survey showed that smoking declines among adults have stalled. Nationally, 20 percent of high school students and 20.6 percent of adults smoke.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., killing more than 400,000 people and costing $96 billion in health care bills each year. Every day, another 1,000 kids become regular smokers – one-third of them will die prematurely as a result.
More information, including the full report and state-specific information, can be obtained at
www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements.
|
|
Stay informed about news concerning preventing tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke in Nebraska.
Please also consider inviting your friends and family members to receive such news, as well. We'll only contact them if they accept your invitation to join the e-news system, and we won't retain their email address unless they want us to do so. As a member, they'll receive news updates and occasional action alerts when there's an opportunity for them to voice their concern.
There's no cost or obligation for membership; you and your friends and family members can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on a link at the bottom of incoming emails.
Thanks for your concern about the harms of tobacco use and exposure!
Now on Facebook Follow Nebraska tobacco-related happenings from your Facebook account. To get the latest news, click here.
|
|
