http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/org/cdc.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.winfieldcourier.com/articles/2009/11/21/people/people/doc4b07edaa38908288570576.txt http://tobacco.org/news/293110.html The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named groups of people at a high risk of developing serious complications from H1N1 Influenza. In keeping with the last two subpopulation releases which were focused on pregnant women and breastfeeding moms, the Sedgwick County Health Department will continue to send monthly releases focused on different subgroups. Currently, one of the highest-priority groups consists of persons with chronic respiratory conditions. These types of conditions, including asthma and heart disease, often arise from smoking. Winfield Courier Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20091117006205&newsLang=en http://tobacco.org/news/292807.html The Electronic Cigarette Association (ECA) today urged decision-makers to seek alternatives to combustible tobacco that reduce Americans' exposure to the multitude of harmful chemicals and toxins found in cigarettes. His remarks came in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study released last week showing that smoking rates among U.S. adults have risen for the first time since 1994. "We applaud the valiant campaigns designed to encourage people to quit smoking and urge that federal, state, and local governments continue to warn people about this unhealthy and deadly habit," said ECA President Matt Salmon. "However, we also believe, given the CDC data, that harm-reduction strategies are desperately needed to reduce smokers' exposure to the thousands of harmful chemicals and toxins that are delivered through combustible cigarettes." Salmon said that electronic cigarettes, battery-operated products that deliver an inhalable nicotine vapor Business Wire msalmon@ecassoc.org (Electronic Cigarette Association) Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091117/OPINION02/911170325 http://tobacco.org/news/292778.html COMPLACENCY has its cost. It has led some people to erroneously believe that smoking is fading as a public health danger. But a new report by the government dispels that perception by showing a small but disturbing uptick in the number of American smokers. . . . Gains have been undermined by cuts in state tobacco control campaigns, as happened in Ohio. Tobacco companies have offered deep discounts to offset tax increases, and, since the 1998 state tobacco settlement, overall tobacco marketing has risen substantially. . . . Basically, say anti-smoking advocates, when you increase tobacco prices and fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs, smoking rates go down, and when prices stay flat and programs are cut, rates go up. The challenge, they say, is to resist the complacency that follows victory over tobacco use, as with indoor smoking bans, higher cigarette taxes, and Congress' recent decision to allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. The CDC survey clearly indicates that much more needs to be done to reduce smoking. The cost to the nation in lives and medical expense is too steep to allow backsliding now with an unhealthy habit that remains the number one preventable cause of death in the United States. Toledo Blade Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111603336.html http://tobacco.org/news/292764.html Cigarette smoking rose slightly in 2008 for the first time in almost 15 years, dashing health officials' hopes that the U.S. smoking rate had moved permanently below 20 percent. A little under 21 percent of Americans were current cigarette smokers, according to a 2008 national survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's up slightly from the year before, when 19.8 percent said they were smoking. It also is the first increase in adult smoking since 1994, experts noted. The increase was so small, it could be just a blip, so health officials and experts say smoking prevalence is flat, not rising. But they are unhappy. "Clearly, we've hit a wall in reducing adult smoking," said Vince Willmore, spokesman for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a Washington-based research and advocacy organization. There's a general perception that smoking is a dying public health danger. Feeding that perception are indoor smoking laws, higher cigarette taxes and Congress's recent decision to allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. But health officials believe gains have been undermined by cuts in state tobacco control campaigns. Also, the tobacco industry has been discounting cigarettes to offset tax increases and keep smokes affordable, Willmore said, citing tobacco industry sales data. AP Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_CDC_US_Smoking_Rates_Steady_But_Smoke-free_Laws_Effective.asp http://tobacco.org/news/292667.html "These findings show the tremendous effect that state and local smoke-free laws, higher tobacco excise taxes and fully funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs have had on our communities," said John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). "By passing these important laws, we have helped more Americans quit smoking, prevented children from ever starting, and diminished the harmful effects of secondhand smoke in workplaces." ACS and ACS CAN have been working tirelessly in support of smoke-free laws and efforts to raise state and federal excise taxes on tobacco. "Despite major progress in recent years to enact strong tobacco control measures at the state and local levels, only 40 percent of the population is covered by comprehensive smoke-free laws," said Daniel E. Smith, president of ACS CAN. "Clearly, there is still much more work that needs to be done." There are high hopes for "The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act," signed into law by President Obama American Cancer Society rebecca.viksnins@cancer.org ( Rebecca Viksnins Snowden ) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705344308/The-winners-and-the-losers.html http://tobacco.org/news/292666.html Winner: It probably didn't shock anyone, but the survey released this week from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control showing Utah as the state with the least number of smokers was great news. Only 9 percent of the people in the state light up tobacco. A state survey two months ago showed that smoking here has fallen by 33 percent since 1999, which is the year an anti-smoking campaign went into effect, funded by a settlement between several states and large tobacco manufacturers. Beyond the great health benefits, a low smoking population ought to be good for economic development. Employers ought to love a place where workers are health-conscious. Loser: On the other hand, the same CDC survey cited above also showed that smoking nationwide rose slightly during the past year. About 21 percent of Americans say they smoke, compared to 19.8 percent the year before. This may signal that anti-smoking efforts have hit a plateau. But it's probably nothing a hefty new tax on cigarettes couldn't fix. Deseret News letters@desnews.com Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.indystar.com/article/20091114/OPINION08/911140309/1291/OPINION08/Hoosiers-burned-in-smoke-study http://tobacco.org/news/292665.html It is safe to say Hoosiers do not look forward to the release of national health rankings with quite the same eagerness folks in Florida and Texas harbor for the weekly round of football polls. The latest survey, covering one of our several "strong" categories, is out. We ought to be more than disappointed to be number two. Consistently in the top 10 year after year, Indiana trailed only West Virginia in the percentage of adults using cigarettes in 2008, according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. . . . The Indiana General Assembly couldn't muster the willpower this past session to join the 26 states with comprehensive smoking bans, but Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, vows to renew his push next year. The City-County Council is close to mustering enough votes to join more than 300 cities with total smoking prohibitions; but sadly, Mayor Greg Ballard says he would veto such a measure for the sake of local business. His stance ignores ample evidence that going smoke-free is not hazardous to the health of bars and eateries. We do know that smoking -- and, critically important, secondhand smoke -- are killers. And that we arm them, as individuals, as communities and as governments. Indianapolis Star Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2009/11/cigarette_smoking_rate_rises_i.html http://tobacco.org/news/292664.html Uh-oh. For the first time in 15 years, more Americans are smoking. Some 20.6 percent of U.S. adults were smokers in 2008, up from 19.8 percent the year before, according to estimates by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. A higher proportion of American adults is smoking. (Owen Humphreys/AP) Even that small uptick worries anti-smoking advocates. "Clearly, we've hit a wall in reducing adult smoking," Vince Willmore, spokesman for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told the Associated Press. That move in the wrong direction won't help the feds meet an already ambitious goal--reducing the proportion of adult smokers to less than 12 percent by 2010. The uptick marks the first increase in smoking in 15 years. National Public Radio Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x566757088/W-Va-has-one-of-nations-highest-smoking-rates http://tobacco.org/news/292661.html West Virginia is again among the states with the highest smoking rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC released a study and a telephone survey Thursday indicating the state's high rate. West Virginia and Indiana had the highest rates, at about 26 percent, and Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee had rates about as high. West Virginia has had a high smoking rate for years, according to Bruce W. Adkins, director of the West Virginia Division of Tobacco Prevention. "We've got really hardcore smokers in the state. Some of them really don't want to quit," Adkins said. "It's a cultural thing and a social thing." But, Adkins said more people have called the West Virginia Tobacco Quitline in the last year. Huntington Herald-Dispatch Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/nov/13/adult-smoke-rate-in-us-up/ http://tobacco.org/news/292660.html The slight increase in the smoking rate comes at a time when the tobacco industry experienced a 12.6 percent decline in cigarette shipment volume during the third quarter. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. reported an 11 percent decline to 20.6 billion cigarettes. A separate CDC report found that 20.9 percent of North Carolinians smoked in 2008, which ranked the state 14th in smoking use among residents. Brad Rodu, the endowed chairman of the Tobacco Harm Reduction Research University at the University of Louisville, said he is not surprised that the smoking rate is at a plateau. "Smoking has not declined because the CDC and the American Cancer Society continue to promote only nicotine and tobacco abstinence, which has failed miserably," Rodu said. Winston-Salem Journal rcraver@wsjournal.com ( Richard Craver * Journal Reporter ) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/517276.html http://tobacco.org/news/292659.html The adult smoking rate has been dropping, in starts and stops, since the mid-1960s, when roughly two out of five U.S. adults smoked. Today, nearly 21 percent of Americans (about 1 in 5) smoke; but local rates are much higher. "About 29 percent of local residents use tobacco, compared with 23 percent for the state," said Stephanie Davis, director of Washington County Tobacco Prevention Program at Selby General Hospital. "I think we actually saw a dip right after the new taxes (on tobacco) went into effect earlier this year, but they're on the way back up." . . . Davis cited a local study that links the risks for tobacco use to money and education. She said southeast Ohio residents earning less than $15,000 a year have a smoking rate of 44 percent and those with less than a high school education have a staggering rate of 53 percent. Marietta Times bbauer@mariettatimes.com (Brad Bauer) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Smoking/16986 http://tobacco.org/news/292658.html Action Points * Explain to interested patients that for smokers, quitting the habit is the most effective way known to improve health. * Explain that a large body of research has shown that secondhand smoke is unhealthy and is associated with increased rates of chronic bronchitis symptoms. National rates of cigarette smoking showed little change in 2008 from a year earlier, the CDC reported, though states vary widely both in rates of current smoking and exposures of nonsmokers to secondhand smoke. Some 20.6% of Americans were current smokers in 2008 (95% CI 19.9% to 21.4%), not significantly different from the 19.8% found in 2007 (95% CI 19.0% to 20.6%) according to the the government's ongoing National Health Interview Survey, detailed by Shanta R. Dube, PhD, and other CDC researchers in the Nov. 13 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. But analysis of a another data set in MMWR -- the 2008 results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) -- revealed a twofold variation in rates among states. . . . Utah had by far the lowest rate of current cigarette smoking, at 9.2%, followed by California (14.0%), New Jersey (14.8%) and Maryland (14.9%), according to Ann M. Malarcher, PhD, and CDC colleagues. West Virginia led the other end of the list at 26.6%. Other states with current smoking rates of 25% or more included Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri. MedPage Today Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.indystar.com/article/20091113/NEWS/911130395/1001/news http://tobacco.org/news/292614.html Watch your back, West Virginia. Indiana is now No. 2 -- and gaining -- when it comes to smoking. More than 26 percent of all Hoosier adults smoked in 2008, according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Indiana was sixth the previous year, but it has puffed past the national median of 20.6 percent -- not exactly something to celebrate. "It saddens me tremendously," said state Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, who sponsored legislation last spring for a comprehensive smoke-free workplace law. "I knew we were up there, but I didn't know we had inched our way up to No. 2. We need to turn that around." Indiana has ranked in the top 10 in recent years for smoking prevalence. The difference between sixth and second is not statistically significant, and the top 10 clump closely together, said Karla Sneegas, executive director of Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation. . . . Experts recommend three measures to address a high rate of smokers: Passing a statewide, comprehensive smoke-free law, increasing state taxes and increasing the amount of money for tobacco prevention efforts. "It's a trifecta," said Danny McGoldrick, vice president for research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "When you put those three things together, that's when you have the biggest impact." Many of the states that have the lowest smoking rates -- California, Arizona and New Jersey -- are those that have been the most aggressive about indoor smoking laws and about state taxes that drive up the cost of cigarettes, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, the CDC's director. Indianapolis Star shari.rudavsky@indystar.com (Shari Rudavsky) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aHR1VR1ts1ig http://tobacco.org/news/292585.html Decades of falling smoking rates in the U.S. may be ending unless cigarette taxes are increased and more money is spent on educational programs, said Thomas Frieden, head of U.S. disease prevention. Preventing deaths from smoking is a “winnable battle” with greater commitment from local, state and national governments, Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a telephone interview. Smoking rates fell about 15 percent in the last decade, though declines in the last five years have slowed or reversed after being halved since 1965, according to a CDC study published today. Frieden, former New York City health commissioner, helped reduce smoking rates in the city by about 35 percent by raising cigarette taxes to about $5 a pack and banning smoking in public places. Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death, killing 443,000 people each year in the U.S. alone and costing the country $193 billion a year in health-care costs and lost productivity, according to the CDC, based in Atlanta. “The difference between the states making the most progress and the states not making progress is really stark and shows that government policies make a difference,” Frieden said. “It’s ironic that when we spend more than $7,500 per person, per year, on clinical curative care, we’re struggling to try to spend $10 a year on prevention.” Bloomberg News trandall6@bloomberg.net (Tom Randall) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20091112/cigarette-smokings-decline-levels-off http://tobacco.org/news/292582.html The prevalence of adult American cigarette smokers, which dropped below 20% in 2007, leveled off in 2008, the CDC says in a new report. The report shows “the battle has not been won,” and economic factors may be part of the problem, Matthew McKenna, MD, MPH, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, tells WebMD. The proportion of adult smokers declined from 24.1% in 1998 to 19.8% in 2007, but remained relatively unchanged at 20.6% in 2008, the CDC says in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for Nov. 13, 2009. "At the national level, we’re kind of stuck," McKenna tells WebMD. "Now we’re back to where we had been. Too many bars, restaurants, and construction sites are still exempted from smoke-free laws." WebMD Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT