Research

Smokeless tobacco linked to heart disease
Researchers at the American Cancer Society have published findings that indicate that smokeless tobacco increases the risk of dying from heart disease by 20%. The research consisted of survey results over 40 years and with almost 1 million participants. Results will be published in Cancer Causes and Control, an ACS journal. Click for more information on the study.

Media coverage of tobacco analyzed
In a recent issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion (2005 May-Jun;19(5):361-8), researchers assessed media coverage of tobacco issues in randomly selected editorials in over 300 daily newspapers. Their analysis determined that editorials addressed events and issues around tobacco, usually with support for tobacco control. The subjects most frequently addressed and promoted were policy changes and individual’s rights. Researchers noted a lack of coverage regarding addiction and health effects. Click to view the abstract.

Smokers believe that some tobacco products are less harmful
A study published in the August issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Volume 29, Issue 2 , August 2005, Pages 85-90) examined people’s beliefs regarding cigarettes touted as less harmful. Researchers asked over 2,000 smokers if they were aware of supposedly less harm products and if they had any reason to believe these were actually less harmful. About 40% of those surveyed were aware of these products and of those respondents, 24.3% said that these products were less harmful than ordinary cigarettes, 52.8% said they were not less harmful, and 22.9% were not sure. Results indicated that consumers believe advertising claims that these cigarettes offer a less harmful option, despite research that has indicated they do not reduce harm. Click to view the full text of the article.

Tobacco industry continues to increase spending on marketing
The Federal Trade Commission has released their annual Cigarette Report, which provides information on the sales, marketing and promotions of cigarettes in the U.S. The 2005 report states that tobacco industry marketing spending reached an all time high of $15.15 billion in 2003. This 21% increase from 2002 comes despite the 1998 settlement in which the industry agreed to stop marketing to children and to reduce several aspects of their marketing. Price reductions to retailers and wholesalers account for $10.81 billion of their marketing expenditures, while about $1.3 billion was spent on giveaway promotions and coupons for consumers. The industry spends more in one day on promotions ($41 million) than 46 of the states spend in one year in prevention and education. Click to view the entire Federal Trade Commission Report and also to view The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids’ response to the report.

Gallup: Americans Responsible for their health
According to a recent Gallup poll, 64% of Americans believe smokers are to blame for their health problems associated with smoking, while only 26% feel that tobacco companies are responsible. Click for more details.

Researchers measure menthol levels in U.S. cigarettes
One group of researchers found that cigarettes labeled as “light” or “ultralight” contain significantly more menthol than regular cigarettes, suggesting that menthol may be used in these “light” cigarettes to offset reductions in tar and nicotine delivery by either increasing the perception of cigarette strength or by facilitating deeper inhalation., subsequently increasing exposure to toxins. Click to view the study abstract.

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American Lung Association data and statistics on lung disease and smoking
Nearly 15% of all deaths in the U.S. are caused by lung disease. Close to 342,000 Americans each year die from lung disease, making it the third largest killer in America. To demonstrate and support these facts, the American Lung Association has assembled a variety of current tables, graphs and figures and made them available on their website. The reports offer information on prevalence, incidence, hospitalization and mortality data for lung disease and cigarette smoking. Information has been collected from a variety of sources and addresses the issues on many different levels. Click to access this resource.

Key outcome indicators guide now available on OSH website
The CDC’s Office of Smoking and Health provides information on its website regarding 120 outcome indicators for evaluation of statewide, comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs. Detailed information is provided for each indicato,r including indicator definition and example data sources and measures. Click to view the report.

2004 U.S. smoking data released by NCHS
The National Center for Health Statistics released data for 2004 indicating that smoking prevalence has continued to drop. Rates have reached a low of 20.9% of Americans over the age of 18, as compared to 24.7% in 1997. Men continue to have higher smoking rates in all age groups, with an average rate of 23.4%, while the percentage of women smokers was 18.5%. Click for the full results.

CDC reports on productivity losses due to smoking
In the July 1st issue of the MMWR, the CDC reported that the U.S. lost $92 billion in productivity due to smoking related mortality between 1997 and 2001; this is an increase of about $10 billion from the 1995 – 1999 data. In the same time frame, about 438,000 people died prematurely as a result of smoking or second hand smoke exposure. When health care costs as a result of smoking are combined with mortality costs, the yearly loss is over $167 billion. Click to view the report.

ALA to release SLATI Mid-Term Report
The American Lung Association will be releasing the State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI) Mid-Term Report in late August. This new publication provides a summary of state tobacco-related laws adopted as of the first 6 months of 2005. Highlights include: Five states have strengthened their state clean indoor air laws (GA, MT, ND, RI, and VT); public support for smoke-free policies is increasing; tobacco taxes remain popular; and, Illinois repealed preemption of local smoke-free ordinances. The report will be available on the SLATI website.

Special supplement address individual and human rights and the tobacco control movement
In an effort to find the best methods to overcome tobacco industry's power, experts gathered to explore how the notion of individual and human rights might play a significant role in reducing tobacco use. Though their discussions were preliminary, they reflected upon several issues where rights could play a role, including:

• Is the statement that there is "no safe cigarette" of such limited value that it represents a violation of a consumer's right to health information?
• Are there ways to ensure smokers are adequately informed of, and have accepted the risks of, smoking?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of arguing for individual rights when advocating for clean indoor air and other restrictions on environmental tobacco smoke?

Their reports are published in a special supplement to the journal Tobacco Control "Individual and Human Rights in Tobacco Control: Help or Hindrance?" This compilation of papers was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with additional publishing support from the American Legacy Foundation. For more information, links to the complete articles, and an interview with the supplement’s co-editor, please click here.

Myths that undermine tobacco control
Two staff from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene have examined popular myths that undermine tobacco control and what tobacco control programs can do to effectively combat them. The article is available in the September 2005 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Click to view the study abstract.

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DHL agrees not to deliver cigarettes to individuals
The New York Attorney General and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms announced that the delivery company DHL has agreed to stop delivery of cigarettes nationwide. Law enforcement officials have been working with delivery, credit card and tobacco companies to stop Internet cigarette sales. Cigarette purchasing over the Internet violates federal, state and often local laws and evades taxation. Click for more information.

GlaxoSmithKline teams up with NASCAR
GlaxoSmithKline announced it would add its Nicorette ® to sponsors for the Busch series NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March of 2006. This is the first time a cessation product has sponsored such an event. GSK started its involvement with NASCAR by sponsoring Chip Ganassi’s racing team. Click for additional information.

Tobacco Control treaty lost in the Senate
In May of 2004, President Bush signed an international treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, with the goals of reducing tobacco consumption, increasing the size of safety warnings on packaging, limiting cigarette advertising, and reducing cigarette smuggling. In the year since Bush has signed the treaty, the Senate has not moved forward with ratification. If the Senate does not vote, or does not ratify it with a 2/3 majority vote, the U.S. will play a lesser role in the summit being held in early 2006 to establish the guidelines of the treaty. Over 70 countries have agreed to the treaty and many are already working toward its goals. Click for more information on the U.S.’s involvement with the treaty. Click to view the full treaty and list of signatories.

Adding tobacco control to faith based commitments
Vincent DeMarco, the coordinator of Faith United Against Tobacco, has initiated a movement to get faith-based organizations invested in tobacco control. Faith United Against Tobacco works for youth prevention and pushes for FDA control of tobacco. Later this month, a wide variety of faith leaders including conservative Christians, non-Christians and liberals will meet to advocate to Senate Majority leaders to back tobacco control legislation. Click for additional information.

Man who discovered link between tobacco and cancer dies at age 92
Sir Richard Doll, the British epidemiologist who was the first to use research to link tobacco use with cancer, passed away at the age of 92 on July 24th in Oxford. In 1950, Doll and Austin Bradford Hill concluded that smoking was “a cause, and a major cause” of lung cancer. Doll quit smoking because of these findings. Click for additional information.

Peter Jennings dies at age 67 from lung cancer
Peter Jennings, ABC’s news anchor for over 20 years, passed away from lung cancer on August 7th. Jennings shared his smoking experience with the public when he announced his diagnosis in January. He reported being a heavy smoker for years, starting at age 13. After quitting and staying away from cigarettes for about 15 years, Jennings began smoking again following the September 11th attacks. He hoped that publicizing his experience would help others quit smoking. He was 67 years old, and is survived by his wife and 2 grown children. Click for additional information.
 
Following Jennings’ death, the American Lung Association noted an increase in calls to its Quitlines. Additionally, The Legacy Foundation and ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA) program have joined forces to help Americans quit smoking. The GMA Stop Smoking Challenge began distributing helpful information on quitting. Additionally, the Challenge offers an exchange to those trying to quit- trade in a pack of cigarettes for a backpack full of cessation materials and information. Click for more details on the challenge.

Dana Reeve diagnosed with lung cancer
Dana Reeve, widow of Christopher Reeve, was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, despite never having been a smoker. She is representative of the one in five women who are not smokers who are diagnosed with lung cancer. Click for more information.

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Alabama:
 
Alabama Tobacco Control Program Welcomes New Staff Member
Ms. Sherifat Ortega, LBSW, has joined the Alabama Tobacco Prevention and Control Division as the Local Support Coordinator responsible for managing the 11 area grants that fund the division’s local programs. Ms. Ortega previously served as the Area 10 Tobacco Control Coordinator.

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