Tobacco.org

Tobacco prevention program gets reprieve  

The Washington County Tobacco Prevention Program has received a grant that will keep operations going through Sept. 25, but after that the future is still uncertain.

The program, which has helped more than 1,000 area residents stop using tobacco and served more than 10,000 youth through prevention programs, was scheduled to end Tuesday due to funding shifts.

Now, a Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant (FLEX) grant from the Ohio Department of Health will keep full services going for three more months while employees apply for additional funding.

"We have (smoking cessation) classes scheduled, we'll be able to provide materials at no cost, we're moving ahead," said director Stephanie Davis. "For now, we're keeping our jobs and more importantly we'll be able to provide services to the community."

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BROWN : New tobacco control act  

The annual health care costs in New Jersey directly caused by smoking amount to $3.17 billion. Residents' state and federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures is $664 per household. Regardless of the state of the economy, no one wants any of his or her hard-earned money going toward these costs, let alone $664. Finances aside, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act will save something much more precious than money: It will save lives. The law "gives us hope," as President Obama said, adding that, "It will help protect the next generation of Americans from growing up with a deadly habit."

To learn more about cessation resources on how to quit smoking, visit lungusa.org or call 1-800-LUNG-USA, ext. 2.

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Cash boost to curb smoking 

CIVIC chiefs have been given a £100,000 boost to help smokers quit and reduce health inequalities.

The cash will be used to increase the number of successful smokers quitting, reduce the number of youngsters starting to smoke and to crackdown on cheap and illicit tobacco.

Hartlepool Borough Council has been given the cash by the Department of Health as part of its Reducing Health Inequalities through Tobacco Control programme.

It comes in the same week as the Mail revealed that more than 500 law-breakers have been hit in the pocket for dumping cigarette ends.

A total of 531 people were handed £75 fixed penalty notices in Hartlepool for dumping cigarette butts between April 2008 and March this year.

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• Using The Internet To Help Young Smokers Quit 

The University of Illinois at Chicago is leading a $2.9 million National Cancer Institute project to increase demand for evidence-based, Internet-based smoking cessation treatment among young adults.

"Even though many young adults think about quitting and actually want to stop smoking, they tend not to use what we know works - evidence-based approaches to quitting," said psychology professor Robin Mermelstein, director of UIC's Institute for Health Research and Policy and principal investigator of the five-year study.

Young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 have the highest rates of smoking compared to any other age group, but they have among the lowest rates of quitting, according to Mermelstein.

A multidisciplinary team of investigators from UIC, the University of Iowa and the American Legacy Foundation will work with GDS&M Idea City advertising agency to develop interactive, Internet-based ads and evaluate what messages motivate young smokers to use the evidence-based stop smoking program www.BecomeAnEx.org. . . .

The four-part study will develop Internet-based ads, evaluate if the ads are reaching young adults and driving them to Internet-based cessation programs, determine if the approaches are effective, and find out if those who used the Internet-based program were successful in stopping smoking.

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Unplanned quit attempts--Results from a U.S. sample of smokers and ex-smokers  

Discussion: The results suggest, similar to previous research, that a substantial proportion of quit attempts are unplanned and that such attempts can be a successful route to cessation. Given the frequency of such attempts, methods of making treatment available to assist unplanned quitting should be considered.

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New Study Shows Many Unplanned Quit Smoking Attempts Are Successful 

Data published in the journal, Nicotine and Tobacco Research, shows that many U.S. quit attempts are unplanned and can be a successful route to cessation. In the study, almost 40 percent of subjects reported that their most recent quit attempt started without any advance planning, suggesting that for some smokers, setting an advance quit date may not be as necessary as once thought.

While a period of planning prior to quitting has long been thought to allow smokers time to prepare themselves for their quit attempt, the study explores the various reasons as well as demographic and psychographic data which may contribute to a smoker deciding to quit spontaneously.

"The study examines the possibility that while quit attempts may seem like spontaneous efforts on the surface, they may actually be the result of prolonged subconscious dissatisfaction with or concern about one's smoking. The results do not discredit planning out a quit attempt, however, a smoker needs to determine what may be the best approach to ensure long-term cessation," said Dr. Saul Shiffman, professor in the departments of psychology and pharmaceutical science at the University of Pittsburgh and study co-author. "All smokers should consider ways to manage tough situations such as cravings and withdrawal symptoms to ensure long-term success."

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Warning: Quit-smoking drugs can kill ... but they're still on sale here  

Two drugs to help smokers kick the habit will continue to be sold in Hong Kong despite claims they may trigger depression or induce suicidal thoughts. . . .

A spokeswoman for the Hospital Authority said Champix is a self- financed medicine, but added frontline medical staff will heed FDA warnings.

Pfizer Corporate Affairs director Geraldine Ip Pui-see said depression and suicidal tendencies are among symptoms contained in the drug description.

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Panel suggests eliminating tobacco from military within 20 years  

A complete ban on tobacco in the military is needed but would likely take about 20 years, according to a new Institute of Medicine study commissioned by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

The ban is possible if the DOD begins to "close the pipeline of new tobacco users entering the military" and slowly cuts off supplies of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, the Committee on Smoking Cessation in Military and Veteran Populations found in its study, which was released Friday.

The DOD and VA asked the institute for recommendations on how to deal with smoking among servicemembers.

The study gives a bleak account of the health and financial toll tobacco takes on the military, which has nearly twice the smoking rate of the civilian population.

More than 30 percent of servicemembers smoke or use tobacco, though smokeless tobacco use is less certain. Those people are more likely to drop out of basic training, have poor vision, leave the service within the first year, get sick and miss work, according to the study findings.

The 15-member committee of doctors and health care professionals said the best way to reduce the problem is to eliminate it through a phased-in tobacco ban across the services. . . .

The NIH researchers said many in the DOD have avoided pressuring smokers deployed to war zones to enter smoking cessation programs, and they had trouble finding DOD documentation on whether those smoking cessation programs were helping people quit.

“This does not inspire confidence that the programs are meeting the needs of military personnel and it prevents contributions from outside personnel on how the programs might be improved,” researchers wrote.

The cessation programs should be improved and even deployed servicemembers must be encouraged to quit tobacco by commanders, the committee recommended.

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Win 5,000 Holiday Euros With the European Smoke Free Awards 2009 

Have you recently quit smoking and want to let everyone know about your achievement, or do you need an extra incentive to give up the cigarettes for good? Then why not enter the European Smoke Free Awards 2009?

Held for the first time in 2008, the awards are a chance to win a share of 7,000 Euros in holiday vouchers, with the Quitter of the Year scooping 5,000 holiday Euros and the runner up winning 2,000 holiday Euros.

A range of countries across Europe are participating in the awards, with each country putting forward one finalist who will win a trip to the awards ceremony in Barcelona in February 2010. You can also nominate a healthcare professional who has helped smokers quit and a public figure who has made an impact on smoking policy.

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Florida State Tobacco Tax Increase May Prompt Smokers to Quit Spontaneously 

Today, the Florida state tobacco tax will increase by $1.00, the biggest of its kind in Florida history, to a total of $1.34 per pack, as part of the Protecting Florida's Health Act. The pressures of a higher price tag on cigarettes may prompt Florida smokers to try and quit spontaneously.

New data published in the journal, Nicotine and Tobacco Research, shows that many U.S. quit attempts are unplanned and these types of attempts can be a successful route to cessation. In the study, almost 40 percent of subjects reported that their most recent quit attempt started without any advance planning, suggesting that for some smokers, setting an advance quit date may not be as necessary as once thought.

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• Smoking--Medicines To Help You 

You are a woman. You are a smoker.

You are not alone. Approximately 18% of adult women smoke. More than half of all smokers want to quit. There is help.

Read this guide … even if you are not ready to quit now. Learn more about products and medicines to help you quit smoking. Read tips to help you make a quit smoking plan that may work for you. Use this guide to help you talk to your pharmacist or doctor.

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FDA: Anti-smoking drugs can make you crazy 

Trying to quit smoking and feel like running into traffic, killing yourself or offing your partner, boss or children? It may be that drug you're taking to help you kick the habit.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday announced it has ordered the makers of the prescription anti-smoking medications Zyban and Chantix (also known by their pharmaceutical names bupropion and varenicline) to warn patients that taking the drugs may cause changes in behavior and mood, including hostility, agitation, depression and suicidal thoughts or behavior. The new warnings will be included in a "black box" intended to alert consumers to important side effects of a drug. . . .

Both medications were approved by the FDA after their manufacturers presented evidence that taking these drugs increased a smoker's likelihood of successfully quitting the habit. But there are many other ways to stop smoking, all of them laid out here (or call [800] QUIT-NOW). Thinking about quitting cold turkey -- no pills, gums, patches or excuses? Here's a site for you too.

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Quitting smoking is winning  

Quitting smoking is tough.

Even President Barack Obama admits he's spent his adult life trying to kick the habit.

He's not alone. About 46 million adults in the United States smoke, according to the American Heart Association.

The unsteady economy is making it tougher on smokers who want to quit. About 25 percent of smokers are lighting up more often and 13 percent delayed quitting because of increasing anxiety, according to the heart association.

But area health providers don't want quitters to quit trying. Smokers can steer their health in the right direction.

"You can reverse some of the damage that smoking has caused," said Danielle Broderick, spokeswoman for the local American Heart Association.

She encourages smokers to get moving.

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Smoking is nicotine addiction - It's a bad habit  

Do you realise that smoking lowers your immunity to illness and is bad for your health? You perhaps started smoking because you thought it was fashionable and macho! Maybe you had planned to stop burning your money but found that when you were stressed, cigarettes helped. Now you continue smoking because you can't help yourself. You not only have a conditioned response (a habit) to smoke when you are doing certain things, but you suspect that you are addicted to nicotine! . . .

When you quit, you will be assailed by cravings and urges to smoke again. Help is available from the Jamaica Cancer Society - 927 4265 and the Jamaica Coalition on Tobacco Control - 926 4378. There are physicians who are trained to help you stop smoking, like Dr Aldyth Buckland who provided much of the information for this article. She can be contacted at aldyth_buckland@yahoo.com. More help can be found at www.whyquit.com.

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New Primary Care Approach Boosts Referrals To NHS Stop Smoking Services By 49% 

The Department of Health is rolling out a new systems-based approach to improve stop smoking interventions in primary care. This new approach has increased referrals to local NHS Stop Smoking services by up to 49% in pilot areas.

People who are referred to local NHS Stop Smoking Services are up to four times more likely to quit.

The new approach was developed to ensure stop smoking interventions by healthcare professionals are routine and systematic, providing a tailored and consistent approach to patient referral. It will be rolled out to practices over the next few months by trained local NHS Stop Smoking Service advisers who will support its implementation in local primary care settings.

The approach recognises smoking as a key clinical issue requiring treatment or referral to a specialist, joining standard issues such as hypertension or high cholesterol.

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