Recently in Awareness Category

International public health advocates are calling on U.S. singing star and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson to withdraw tobacco industry sponsorship of her April 29 concert in Jakarta, Indonesia. Health advocates expressed alarm that the concert and associated advertising are being used to promote cigarettes to Indonesian youth.

Clarkson has not responded to letters and online fan requests urging her to withdraw tobacco industry sponsorship of the concert. The Indonesian National Commission on Child Protection, the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) and the U.S.-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids have all urged Clarkson to withdraw tobacco sponsorship of the concert.

The concert is being sponsored and heavily promoted by the tobacco company PT Djarum under the name of its cigarette brand LA Lights. Television, billboard and online ads for the concert feature Clarkson's image and the LA Lights logo and even carry health warnings, making clear they are cigarette ads (for an ad image, go to www.tobaccofreekids.org/kellyclarkson).

"If Kelly Clarkson goes ahead with this concert, she is choosing to be a spokesperson for the tobacco industry and helping them to market cigarettes to children," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "If she rejects tobacco industry sponsorship, she can send a powerful message to children in Indonesia and around the world that they, too, should reject the tobacco industry's deadly products and marketing."

The tobacco industry has long used sponsorship of music concerts popular with young people to promote its products and tobacco use among youth. In the United States, a new federal law bans tobacco companies from engaging in brand name sponsorships of entertainment and sports events. Other countries have enacted similar bans.

However, in Indonesia and other developing countries, tobacco companies continue to sponsor concerts by famous musicians, a practice that health advocates have condemned as a means to market cigarettes to children and to circumvent restrictions on more traditional tobacco advertising. Indonesia is one of the few countries that has yet to ratify the international tobacco control treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which requires countries to ban all tobacco advertising, promotions and sponsorships.

In an April 8 letter, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids wrote, "We call on you to put the health of Indonesians first and require the withdrawal of PT Djarum's LA Lights sponsorship of this concert and any other tobacco sponsorship in your upcoming concert series in Asia. We also urge you to publicly announce that you will no longer allow PT Djarum or any other tobacco company to sponsor your concerts or promote their products through events in which you are participating."

A letter from SEATCA stated, "It is not too late to rectify the situation. We urge you to halt the tobacco sponsorship of your concert in Indonesia and pull back all promotional materials for your concert that carries the L.A. Lights brand. It is important that you and your music are not associated with cigarettes and ill health."

Clarkson's fans around the world, including Indonesia, have also expressed their disapproval of the tobacco sponsorship. Fans have posted hundreds of messages on Clarkson's Facebook fan page urging her to renounce the sponsorship and sent more than 1,300 e-mails to Clarkson's management.

Clarkson can look to singing star Alicia Keys as an example of how to effectively stop the tobacco industry from using internationally renowned artists as a marketing tool. In July 2008, Keys' Jakarta concert was initially sponsored by "A Mild" cigarettes, which is produced by Philip Morris International and its Indonesian subsidiary Sampoerna. When this was brought to her attention, Keys withdrew tobacco sponsorship of the concert and had related advertising removed.

About 35 percent of the Indonesian population smokes, and tobacco use kills more than 200,000 Indonesians each year. An estimated 78 percent of Indonesian smokers started before the age of 19.

The letters to Kelly Clarkson can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org/kellyclarkson.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is a leading force in the fight to reduce tobacco use and its devastating consequences in the United States and around the world. The Campaign advocates for proven policies that prevent kids from smoking, help smokers quit and protect everyone from secondhand smoke.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

2010 marks the ten-year anniversary of the country's most successful youth smoking prevention campaign -- truth®.  In the past decade, the truth® campaign has kept hundreds of thousands of teens from smoking, protecting them from years of addiction and tobacco-related disease and saving countless lives.

The campaign is directed and funded by Legacy, a national public health foundation with the dual mission of keeping young people from smoking and helping all smokers quit. Over the past decade, the campaign has:

• Seen a growing body of research illustrate the efficacy of the campaign in saving lives by keeping teens from starting to smoke.  Research published in the April 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that truth® is responsible for keeping 450,000 teens from starting to smoke between 2000-2004. A second study published in that same journal in April 2009 found that the campaign not only paid for itself in its first two years, but also saved between $1.9 and $5.4 billion in medical care costs to society.
• Become a summer concert institution through a grassroots tour. Traveling with the VANS Warped Tour for ten summers, truth® brand ambassadors have connected personally with more than five million teens with anti-tobacco messages.
• Successfully prevailed in the court of law after a nearly six-year lawsuit with a tobacco company regarding the content of select truth® advertisements.
• Produced groundbreaking and highly-lauded advertising, winning more than 400 awards, including Emmys, ADDYs, Clios and a Grand Effie.

"Looking back over the accomplishments of the truth® campaign in the last decade reveals a host of milestones in the fight for a healthier America, by reducing the impact of tobacco on our teens," said Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO of Legacy.  "truth® has become an iconic part of teen popular culture by not compromising on the idea that teens appreciate being asked to make their own, informed decisions and not being told what to do. Of course, the way in which truth® presents information has been, and will continue to be provocative because that is what teens most at risk of smoking respond to best."

The campaign was born out of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between three of the largest tobacco companies, and 46 states and five U.S. territories. Funds from the MSA were directed to create a national public health organization devoted to helping adults who want to quit and keeping teens from starting. Foundation leaders, partners and an expert panel funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked to the latest social science, marketing and public health research - along with the State of Florida's successful truth® youth smoking campaign -- to expand the truth® campaign and bring it to a national audience. 

"With truth®, we knew that preaching to kids about not smoking wouldn't work," said Pete Favat, Chief Creative Officer at Arnold Worldwide, Legacy's advertising partner.  "So we wanted to do something different. We set out to harness teenage rebellion and make an intangible thing like

'anti-smoking' into a tangible brand. To have youth communicate to other youth about the real, unfiltered facts involving cigarettes and the manipulative tobacco industry. Then kids could make up their own minds about smoking.  It's been a lot of work and a great partnership over the years and it's been exciting to see how the campaign has evolved.  But most importantly we're so proud of the way truth® has been able to impact teenager's lives in such a positive and meaningful way."

truth® is the largest national youth smoking prevention campaign and the only national campaign not directed by the tobacco industry. The campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking - allowing teens to make informed choices about tobacco use by giving them the facts about the industry and its products. It is designed to engage teens by exposing Big Tobacco's marketing and manufacturing practices, as well as highlighting the toll of tobacco in relevant and innovative ways.

truth® remains a multi-channel, constantly evolving campaign. From its beginnings in iconic television ads, the campaign has also included radio, print and cinema advertising. Over the decade, the campaign has had an increasingly comprehensive online presence, and an experiential presence via a popular summer tour. All efforts are focused directly to teens that are most likely to smoke and need information most.

In its ten years, truth® has had 3 distinct phases, as the campaign's audience has "migrated", and outreach efforts reflect that:

• traditional advertising: TV spots, truth® ads in print publications popular with teens, and radio.
• traditional advertising to online: In response, the campaign boosted its interactive presence, built social networking profiles, and continues to grow and build a robust Web site with polls, games, interactive activities, video, etc
• online to experiential - Responding to an audience that is creating its own content and looking for further engagement with brands and campaigns, the truth® tour will take on an even more central role in the years to come, and the truth® "experience" will be enhanced further through engaging content and integrations.

While campaign funds have been in decline since 2003, Legacy has evolved the campaign to extend the truth® message in even more efficient and cost-effective ways. Partnerships with like-minded brands, such as MTV, Virgin Mobile, fuse and fuel extended the campaign's reach and provided value-added opportunities. Grant funding from such partners as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allowed the campaign to grow its presence in many smaller and rural communities throughout the nation. In addition, campaign managers constantly assess the media channels used by the campaign and its creative approach to make sure truth® continues to hit teens with relevant messages in relevant mediums.

While ten years ago much of truth®'s efforts were focused around traditional advertising, with iconic TV spots like Body Bags putting truth® on the map and highly-visible with teens, significant changes in media tools and consumption with the teen audience over the last decade has driven routine shifts in strategy to embrace other marketing tools. To meet these challenges, truth® continues to look beyond traditional means and the 30-second spot.

"With the campaign now facing a funding cliff and the tobacco industry spending approximately $34 million per day on marketing, truth® will continue to work hard to reach teens and help them make informed decisions about tobacco use," said Dr. Benjamin Chu, chairman of the Legacy Board of Directors. "As we enter the next decade, the landscape around youth marketing continues to shift, presenting both opportunities and challenges.  Digital media will continue to be the driving force for engagement with teens, message distribution, and for fundraising with audiences beyond the core audience.  The truth® campaign has recognized these trends and will continue to embrace new methods of youth engagement."

To learn more about highlights from the last ten years of truth®, please visit: http://www.legacyforhealth.org/truthnews.aspx

BACKGROUND ON THE truth® CAMPAIGN

truth®, launched in February 2000, is the largest national youth smoking prevention campaign and the only national campaign not directed by the tobacco industry. The campaign exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and the health effects and social consequences of smoking.  truth® allows teens to make informed choices about tobacco use by giving them the facts about the industry and its products. The campaign was created by Legacy and its partners, Arnold Worldwide of Boston (2000-present), and Crispin Porter + Bogusky of Miami (2000-2007).

Legacy is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the national public health organization helps Americans live longer, healthier lives.  Legacy develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns.  The foundation's programs include truth®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as having contributed to significant declines in youth smoking; EX®, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; and research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use.  The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Visit www.legacyforhealth.org.

Saint Francis Hospital's keynote speaker at HeartFest 2010 will be Patrick Reynolds, grandson of  cigarette company founder R.J. Reynolds and president of the Foundation for a Smokefree America.  The keynote speech by Mr. Reynolds, a leading anti-smoking advocate, will be held Thursday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. in the auditorium at Saint Francis Hospital, 355 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, Ill.  Mr. Reynolds will discuss the dangers of tobacco in his address "Tobacco Wars: the Battle for a Smoke-free Society."  

Saint Francis Hospital's annual Heart Festival includes free health information, physician lectures, a healthy cooking demonstration, and free health screenings. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the hospital, with the keynote speaker beginning discussion promptly at 1 p.m.

Patrick Reynolds lost his father, R.J. Reynolds, Jr., his oldest brother R.J. Reynolds III, his aunt and other family members due to cigarette-induced emphysema, heart disease, and lung cancer.  Concerned about the mounting health evidence against tobacco, he made the decision to speak out against the industry his family helped build.  From family tragedy, a passionate advocate emerged.

Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said of him, "Patrick Reynolds is one of the nation's most influential advocates of a smoke-free America.  His testimony is invaluable to our society."  Patrick first spoke out publicly at a Congressional hearing in favor of a ban on all cigarette advertising in 1986.  Reynolds' advocacy work, motivational talks to youth and appearances in the press have made him a well-known and respected champion of a smoke-free society.  He has made numerous television appearances, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Larry King, ABC's Nightline, The Phil Donahue Show, Extra, Entertainment Tonight, and numerous other national and international television and radio shows.

In March 2009, Reynolds met in Washington, DC with Rep. Henry Waxman, a co-sponsor of the Congressional bill for FDA regulation of tobacco, to offer his support.  The bill passed both Houses, and President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law on June 22, 2009.

 

FACTS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF SMOKING

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death and disease:

• Cigarettes cause more deaths than cocaine, auto accidents, AIDS, alcohol, heroin, fire, suicide and homicide combined (1)
• Smokers die an average of 15 years earlier than nonsmokers
• Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer which kills more Americans every year than breast, colon and prostate cancer combined (2)
• In 2010, lung cancer will kill more than 165,000 Americans (2)
• In 2020, tobacco use will kill 6 million people from cancer, heart disease, emphysema and a range of other ills (3)

Cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States:

• Accounts for more than 440,000 of the more than 2.4 million annual deaths
• Cigarette smokers have a higher risk of developing several chronic disorders including fatty buildups in arteries, several types of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (lung problems)
• Atherosclerosis (buildup of fatty substances in the arteries) is a chief contributor to the high number of deaths from smoking
• Many studies detail the evidence that cigarette smoking is a major cause of coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack. (4)

The societal costs of smoking include:

• Over 1200 lives lost each day in the U.S.
• Over 400,000 lives lost every year in the U.S.
• $50 billion annually in lost productivity and increased health care costs
• Worldwide, the toll exacted by tobacco use is one in every ten deaths
• Of the world's 1.2 billion smokers, the World Health Organization estimates that 500 million of them will die because of smoking (5)

In most cases, the decision to smoke or start smoking is not made by adults:

• 60% of smokers start by the age of 14
• 90% of smokers are firmly addicted before reaching age 19.
• Tobacco companies have spent over $4 billion annually on advertising, or $15 annually for every man, woman, and child in the country(6)

Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop alerted the nation that nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. (6)

(1)  Foundation for a Smokefree America, www.tobaccofree.org/theproblem.htm

(2)  Lung Cancer Alliance, www.lungcanceralliance.org/facing/facts.html

(3)  American Cancer Society Study, Tobacco Atlas, August 25, 2009

(4)  American Heart Association, www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4545

Foundation for a Smokefree America, www.tobaccofree.org/theproblem.htm

(5)  ibid.

(6)  ibid.

Media Contact: Margo Schafer, 847-316-4000.

SOURCE Saint Francis Hospital

The impact of smoking on your health is well documented. But counselors at Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Greater Atlanta know that it can also wreak havoc on a person's financial health. Whether it's helping people struggling with credit card debt or trying to avoid foreclosure, counselors find that tobacco use adds a significant amount to monthly household expenditures and they advise consumers to consider reducing or quitting smoking to save money.

A pack-a-day smoker spending an average of $5.15 per pack could save $1,879 per year by quitting smoking. These funds could be used to cover living expenses, reduce household debt or start a savings plan. Invested in a basic savings plan paying just 3 percent interest, you would have in excess of $21,000 after 10 years. Over 30 years, that figure climbs to more than $91,000.

"Quitting smoking is good for more than just your physical health," said Michelle Jones, Senior Vice President of Counseling for CCCS of Greater Atlanta. "Reducing or eliminating tobacco use can significantly increase the amount of money consumers have to use to pay off outstanding debt."

Even homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payments and seeking a loan modification may be able to benefit by reducing or quitting smoking.

"Any reduction in spending will show the mortgage company that there is more income to put toward a homeowner's monthly budget," said Jones. "The better their budget looks, the more likely the lender is to offer a favorable workout, such as a loan modification."

This year's Great American Smokeout is November 19, but any day is a good day to give up smoking. "Our clients get a great deal of satisfaction when they quit smoking," added Jones. "It's a great first step in improving their physical and fiscal health."

The financial benefits of quitting extend beyond just the cost of cigarettes.

Increased Employment Opportunities and Productivity - Some employers have begun hiring only non-smoking employees or instituting "no smoking" policies in an effort to reduce overall health care costs and increase productivity.

Reduced Health Care and Insurance Costs - Non-smokers often enjoy lower health and life insurance premiums and general healthcare costs than smokers. In Georgia, state employees who smoke pay $40 more per month for health insurance than non-smokers. Many states have enacted similar policies for smokers, including higher deductibles and increased co-pay rates. Average life insurance premiums for smokers can be double that of non-smokers. Non-smokers may also be eligible for discounts on homeowners' insurance premiums.

Decreasing Values on Assets - According to Carmax, a used vehicle owned by a smoker will narrow the market of potential buyers and can result in lower trade-in or resale values than comparable vehicles owned by non-smokers. Similarly, general maintenance costs on a home are higher for smokers and a home that has been smoked in can be harder to sell.

For more information and tips to quit smoking, visit the American Lung Association at www.lungusa.org.

SOURCE Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta

Oral Health America announced the winner of its National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP) annual slogan contest today, and encouraged young baseball and softball players to talk to their coaches and parents about tobacco addiction and the health risks of using tobacco products, including spit and smokeless tobacco.

This year's slogan contest winner is Katie Reynolds, a 12-year-old Little League Softball player with the Pawling Little League from Pawling, N.Y., whose submission, "Chew on this. . .tobacco steals your health," sends a clear message that tobacco has no place in the ballpark.

"In addition to being thrilled and proud of Katie's slogan, we are equally delighted that the contest provided an opportunity for our family to discuss the harms of tobacco," said Katie's parents, William and Gina Reynolds.

Katie's slogan will be featured on a pin designed by Oral Health America for distribution at the Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., from Aug. 21-30. Katie will receive a monetary award, a trip to the event with her family, and an on-field award ceremony.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, about eight percent of high school students (and 13 percent of high school males) used smokeless tobacco in the past 30 days. The 2008 Monitoring the Future study from the University of Michigan found that over 80 percent of 8th and 10th graders disapprove of people using spit tobacco regularly.

Oral Health America's NSTEP works with Little League International to educate families about the risks of spit tobacco use, including oral cancer, gum disease, tooth decay, and nicotine addiction. During the 10-Day Little League Baseball World Series, Oral Health America provides tobacco and health education to tens of thousands of young baseball and softball players and their families.

Oral Health America is the nation's leading independent organization dedicated to eliminating oral disease through access, education and advocacy. To find out more, visit www.oralhealthamerica.org and http://www.nstep.org. Oral Health America's presence at the Little League Baseball World Series is made possible with support from Aspen Dental (www.aspendent.com) and Delta Dental of California (www.deltadentalins.com).

SOURCE Oral Health America

During 34 years of smoking, Carolyn Smeaton has tried countless ways to reduce her three-pack-a-day habit, including a nicotine patch, nicotine gum and a prescription drug. But stop-smoking aids always failed her.

Then, having watched a TV infomercial at her home here, Ms. Smeaton tried an electronic cigarette, which claimed to be a less dangerous way to feed her addiction. The battery-powered device she bought online delivered an odorless dose of nicotine and flavoring without cigarette tar or additives, and produced a vapor mist nearly identical in appearance to tobacco smoke.

"I feel like this could save my life," said Ms. Smeaton, 47, who has cut her tobacco smoking to a pack and a half daily, supplemented by her e-cigarette.

That electronic cigarettes are unapproved by the government and virtually unstudied has not deterred thousands of smokers from flocking to mall kiosks and the Internet to buy them. And because they produce no smoke, they can be used in workplaces, restaurants and airports. One distributor is aptly named Smoking Everywhere.

The reaction of medical authorities and antismoking groups has ranged from calls for testing to skepticism to outright hostility. Opponents say the safety claims are more rumor than anything else, since the components of e-cigarettes have never been tested for safety.

In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has already refused entry to dozens of shipments of e-cigarettes coming into the country, mostly from China, the chief maker of them, where manufacture began about five years ago. The F.D.A. took similar action in 1989, refusing shipments of an earlier, less appealing version, Favor Smoke-Free Cigarettes.

"These appear to be unapproved drug device products," said Karen Riley, a spokeswoman for the agency, "and as unapproved products they can't enter the United States."

But enough of the e-cigarettes have made their way into the country that they continue to proliferate online and in the malls.

For $100 to $150 or so, a user can buy a starter kit including a battery-powered cigarette and replaceable cartridges that typically contain nicotine (though cartridges can be bought without it), flavoring and propylene glycol, a liquid whose vaporizing produces the smokelike mist. When a user inhales, a sensor heats the cartridge. The flavorings include tobacco, menthol and cherry, and the levels of nicotine vary by cartridge.

Propylene glycol is used in antifreeze, and also to create artificial smoke or fog in theatrical productions. The F.D.A. has classified it as an additive that is "generally recognized as safe" for use in food. But when asked whether inhaling it was safe, Dr. Richard D. Hurt, director of the Nicotine Dependence Center at the Mayo Clinic, said, "I don't think so, but I'm not sure anyone knows for sure."

Of the e-cigarettes themselves, Dr. Hurt added: "We basically don't know anything about them. They've never been tested for safety or efficacy to help people stop smoking."

Public health officials also worry that the devices' fruit flavors, novelty and ease of access may entice children.

"It looks like a cigarette and is marketed as a cigarette," said Jonathan P. Winickoff, an associate professor at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Tobacco Consortium. "There's nothing that prevents youth from getting addicted to nicotine."

Sales and use of electronic cigarettes are already illegal on safety grounds in Australia and Hong Kong, and some other countries regulate them as medicinal devices or forbid their advertising. So far the United States has focused only on stopping them at the border, although Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Democrat of New Jersey, has asked the drug agency to take them off the market until they can be tested.

Distributors of electronic cigarettes fear that a bill making its way through Congress that would give the F.D.A. the authority to regulate tobacco could be used to put them out of business as well. The bill has passed the House and could be taken up by the Senate this week.

The only American study of electronic cigarettes, now under way at Virginia Commonwealth University and financed by the National Cancer Institute, deals not with the kind of safety questions raised by propylene glycol but rather with the amount of nicotine processed by the bodies of the products' users.

Another study, conducted this year at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and financed by Ruyan, an electronic cigarette company, shows that users typically receive 10 percent to 18 percent of the nicotine delivered by a tobacco cigarette.

Smoking Everywhere, a Florida-based distributor of electronic cigarettes, sued the F.D.A on April 28, claiming that the agency did not have jurisdiction to refuse the imported devices.

"The F.D.A. has the power to regulate Nicorette gum and the like because it is marketed as a smoking cessation product," said Kip Schwartz, a lawyer for Smoking Everywhere. But the company says its products are a cigarette alternative for adult enjoyment and make no claims to help smokers quit, Mr. Schwartz added.

Matt Salmon, a spokesman for the Electronic Cigarette Association, which represents six distributors, said e-cigarettes delivered nothing more than a mixture of nicotine and water vapor and emitted "no carcinogens." The association declined to give sales figures, but said that "hundreds of thousands" of people used the products and that the average age of those users was the mid-40s.

"It's a really good alternative for people who smoke tobacco," Mr. Salmon said.

Edwin Schwab, who quit smoking regular cigarettes last year after trying e-cigarettes, likes them so much he has started selling them at a mall kiosk in Providence, R.I.

Mr. Schwab took his e-smoke along when he went out one night, he said, "and when everyone was smoking outside in the cold, I just stood in the warm bar, smoking."

Source: New York Times, article by Katie Zezima

Amanda Crawford was just fifteen when she smoked her first cigarette. Now that she is 45, she still smokes despite having tried to quit multiple times. Children are fifty percent more likely to start smoking if they have a parent who smokes - and in Crawford's case, it was her father who smoked. Born and raised in Virginia, she met and married her husband - also a smoker - in Roanoke. The Crawfords now have three sons - 28, 14 and 11. "Our 28-year-old started smoking when he turned 18 and our 14-year-old is already sneaking cigarettes. My father quit smoking later in his life, but I'm concerned about how smoking will affect the health of our entire family," she said.

She is not alone. As caregivers across the country mobilize for Sandwich Generation Month in July, the American Legacy Foundation(R) today released the results of a recent survey analyzing the unique concerns associated with tobacco use and prevention for Americans raising their own kids while simultaneously caring for their aging parents - millions of whom have been life-long smokers and are now struggling with the resulting health effects. Lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, can all afflict aging smokers and can be emotionally and financially debilitating for families forced to cope with them.

The survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, found that 75 percent of respondents with a parent who is a current or former smoker are concerned about their aging parent's current or past smoking or their diagnosis of having a tobacco-related disease. Thirty-four percent of respondents with teenage or adult children indicated that they were concerned about their child's current or potential smoking. About 5% of respondents were "sandwiched" in between: struggling with issues related to both their parents and children smoking. Nationwide, this small percentage translates to more than 10 million Americans in this situation.

The survey highlights the unique position of this group of Americans and their concerns about the impact of the nation's number-one preventable cause of death on their emotional and financial well-being. Treating tobacco-related disease is enormously expensive for families and for the healthcare system. A 2007 American Legacy Foundation report found that America's Medicaid system could spend nearly $10 billion less within five years if all Medicaid beneficiaries who smoke, quit. Effective smoking prevention and cessation programs could cut Medicaid costs by 5.6 percent.

Results from this survey also found that while just over a third of respondents are concerned about their own kids smoking, 56 percent of all respondents feel that a national youth smoking prevention campaign will keep kids from lighting up. Almost half (49 percent) think that a national quit smoking campaign will help reduce healthcare costs across the country.

"As healthcare reform and the economy dominate our headlines, we simply cannot ignore the burden of smoking on the health of America's families," said Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH. "This snapshot into the lives and concerns of this segment of our population reinforces the urgency with which more resources are needed to return money and lives as dividends," she said. This is especially important given one in five of those concerned about their parents say the healthcare costs associated with smoking are impacting their family's financial situation more than ever.

Late last year, the foundation commissioned an online survey by Harris Interactive analyzing the impact of the economic crisis on smokers. In that survey, 77 percent of smokers report increased stress levels due to the current state of the economy and two-thirds of those smokers say this stress has had an effect on their smoking.

The single best way for smokers to improve their health is to quit. Forty-six million Americans have stopped smoking but currently 43 million still do. On average, it takes 8-11 attempts before a smoker quits for good so adopting a personalized, comprehensive quit plan is critical to increasing the odds for success. The free, state-of-the-art EX(R) campaign is helping smokers quit by arming them with the best information available to re-learn their lives without cigarettes. Visit www.BecomeAnEX.org for more information.

The current survey was conducted on behalf of the American Legacy Foundation by Opinion Research Corporation's CARAVAN(R) Telephone Survey among a national probability sample of 1,002 adults 18 years of age and older, living in private households in the continental United States, during the period June 19-22, 2009. A full methodology is available.

SOURCE American Legacy Foundation

In an effort to educate pregnant smokers about the harms of tobacco use on their unborn babies, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Northwestern Pennsylvania (NWPA) Tobacco Control Program are launching a new smoking cessation campaign to target the 28 percent of pregnant women who smoke in that region of the state.

"More than one-quarter of expectant mothers in Northwestern Pennsylvania smoke cigarettes," said state Secretary of Health Everette James. "There are serious harms to both mother and child that can occur from tobacco use. We also understand that quitting takes practice. This campaign is geared to provide the necessary support and resources expectant mothers need to help them be successful in their quit attempts -- giving their unborn babies the best chance possible for a healthy start to life. The goal of this program is not only to help these women go tobacco free during pregnancy but for their entire life."

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women who smoke during pregnancy are twice as likely to have health complications that may cause pre-term labor. In fact, babies born to smokers are 30 percent more likely to be born prematurely and/or with lower birth weights, increasing their risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.

The pilot program will be overseen by the NWPA Tobacco Control Program, which provides direct services to individuals in the region. In addition to promoting the program and sharing resources available to pregnant smokers through regional media, the campaign also includes informational convenience store posters and radio advertisements encouraging listeners to use the PA Free Quitline, 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669) or by visiting www.DeterminedToQuit.com for cessation information and support.

The NWPA Tobacco Control Program regularly offers services to pregnant women in their attempts to quit using tobacco. All services are offered free of charge and include support for family members seeking cessation support.

The Department of Health's tobacco efforts are intended to help individuals to quit -- or never start -- using tobacco products, and to curb the retail sale of tobacco to minors.

Under a state law that took effect last September, smoking is now prohibited in most public places and workplaces across Pennsylvania.

For more cessation resource information, visit www.DeterminedToQuit.com or call 1-800-QUIT NOW.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Health

--Only Two States Passed Comprehensive Smokefree Laws, Three plus DC Raised Tobacco Taxes--

According to a report released today by the American Lung Association, 2008 proved to be a slow year for tobacco control policies on the state level, with only a select few taking the steps that are needed to curb tobacco use and save lives.

In its annual update of State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues or SLATI, now in its 21st year of publication, the American Lung Association tracks the passage of legislation and other state policies related to tobacco control and prevention, including tobacco taxes, smoking restrictions and funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs. SLATI is the only comprehensive summary of state tobacco control laws, and is also available online at http://slati.lungusa.org. The website is updated regularly to reflect changes in tobacco control laws as they take effect.

"Unfortunately, the significant momentum previously achieved with the passage of smokefree workplace laws stalled during 2008," said Stephen J. Nolan, American Lung Association National Board Chair. "Only two states joined the American Lung Association's Smokefree Air Challenge by adopting comprehensive laws prohibiting smoking in workplaces, restaurants and bars."

To date, 24 states including South Dakota just last month, plus the District of Columbia have passed comprehensive smokefree laws as part of the American Lung Association's Smokefree Air challenge. A map illustrating the nation's progress towards becoming smokefree can be found online at: www.lungusa.org/smokefree.

Only three states and the District of Columbia passed increases in their tobacco taxes in 2008, bringing the average state cigarette tax up to $1.19 a pack. This is a dramatic increase from the beginning of 2002 when the average tax was only 44.6 cents per pack. The revenue from tobacco taxes sometimes funds state tobacco control programs. However, no state has met the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended funding level for these vital public health programs in fiscal year 2009.

"Higher cigarette prices help prevent children from starting to smoke and motivate adults to quit," explained Nolan. "The revenue increased tobacco taxes generate can and should be used to fund state tobacco control programs in order to save even more lives from the death and disease caused by tobacco use."

SOURCE American Lung Association

The American Legacy Foundation(R) is challenging pet owners to quit smoking for their pets during the month of April, which kicks off Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. A growing body of research shows there are no safe levels of exposure to secondhand smoke -- for humans or for animals. And one new study shows that nearly 30 percent of pet owners live with at least one smoker -- a number far too high given the consequences of exposure to secondhand smoke ("SHS").

"Secondhand smoke doesn't just affect people," said Dr. Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation(R), the national independent public health foundation dedicated to keeping young people from smoking and providing resources to smokers who want to quit. "While most Americans have been educated about the dangers of smoking to their own bodies, it is equally important that pet owners take action to protect their beloved domestic pets from the dangers of secondhand smoke."

An estimated 50,000 Americans lose their lives to secondhand smoke annually and 4 million youth (16 percent) are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes. A number of studies have indicated that animals, too, face health risks when exposed to the toxins in secondhand smoke, from respiratory problems, allergies and even nasal and lung cancer in dogs and lymphoma in cats. In addition, the ASPCA, one of the largest animal rights groups in the U.S., lists tobacco smoke as a toxin that is dangerous to pets.

"Nicotine from secondhand smoke can have effects to the nervous systems of cats and dogs," said Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, Medical Director of the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center. "Environmental tobacco smoke has been shown to contain numerous cancer-causing compounds, making it hazardous for animals as well as humans. Studies have shown increases in certain types of respiratory cancers in dogs that live in homes with smokers. In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke has been shown to cause many of the same harmful inflammatory changes in the airways and lungs of dogs as their human counterparts. For these reasons, owners should not expose their pets to secondhand smoke in order to minimize the risk of their pets developing lung disease or cancer."

According to a study published in the February 2009 edition of Tobacco Control, 28 percent of pet owners who smoke reported that information on the dangers of pet exposure to SHS would motivate them to try to quit smoking. These findings, coupled with the research on the effects of SHS exposure to animals, signals a new front in the public health community's battle to save lives from tobacco-related disease.

In order to better protect dogs, cats or other pets, the foundation and ASPCA recommend that smokers -- who often consider their domestic pets a part of the family -- "take it outside" when they are smoking. The foundation also provides resources and information to smokers who want to quit for their own health through a national campaign called EX(R), including a Web site for smokers who are quitting just for their pets:

• EX encourages smokers to approach quitting smoking as "re-learning life without cigarettes"
• The resources from the campaign help smokers consider the "triggers" that make them want to smoke each day. The program is based on helping people understand that if they can get through each part of their day without a cigarette, they can quit for good.
• The campaign features www.BecomeAnEX.org, a state-of-the-art Web site with interactive tools and information to help smokers prepare for quitting by developing a personalized plan. The EX Web site offers a virtual community and forums where smokers can share stories and best practices about their quit attempt. To join or view the community of smokers who are quitting for their pets, visit: http://community.becomeanex.org/group/quittingforourpets.

SOURCE American Legacy Foundation