National

New study shows tobacco control programs cut adult smoking rates
A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and RTI International compared states’ tobacco program funding levels between 1995 and 2003, and found that well-funded state programs fared better.  The more funding allotted for state tobacco control and cessation programs, the greater declines in smoking rates were achieved.  The study points out that if states had begun funding tobacco programs at CDC-recommended levels in 1995, there would have been 2.2 to 7.1 million fewer smokers by 2003.  As of 2007, only three states were supporting tobacco programs at CDC funding standards.  The study is published in the February 2008 American Journal of Public Health.  The findings were also used to update the CDC guide Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs.  Click here to download the guide.  A summary of the study is available here.

Key state-specific tobacco related data & rankings
The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids has compiled a table of tobacco-related data by state from various studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The table includes youth and adult smoking rates, associated healthcare costs, and a ranking of the states’ tobacco control spending compared to recommendations in the recently released CDC Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs guide.  Click here to view the rankings.

Special report:  Big tobacco’s guinea pigs
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and American Lung Association have teamed up to release a report on the tobacco industry’s efforts to defy restrictions on tobacco use in the United States.  For example, while cigarette laws are being implemented nationwide, the tobacco industry has used lax laws on other new tobacco products to their advantage.  The report provides details on the ongoing bipartisan political effort to bring tobacco products and advertising under FDA regulation.  Click here to read the main points of the report, and for a link to download the full report.

Tobacco control in transition: Public support and governmental disarray in Arizona 1997-2007
This research paper attribute’s Arizona’s success in tobacco control to support from voters and strong political activism.  However, the researchers also state that while the public consistently supports anti-tobacco policies, the state and local government have had mixed success in funding and supporting tobacco control programs.  View the abstract and download the paper here.

American Cancer Society Statistics for 2008
The American Cancer Society has released its most recent figures on cancer incidence rates, survival rates, and risk factors including tobacco use in the United States.  Reports are also available with statistics on health disparities among the Hispanic and African American populations.  Click here to go obtain the reports from the ACS statistics website.

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International

Drinking declines and smoking reaches all time low in Great Britain
According to Great Britain’s Office for National Statistics, the British are cutting down on their drinking and smoking.  There has been an overall decrease in alcohol consumption over the past ten years among both men and women.  Cigarette smoking prevalence has hit an all-time low.  Twenty two percent of the population over age 16 currently smokes, down from 24% in 2005.  Click here for a summary of the data.

New report on global tobacco control efforts
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its most comprehensive report to date on worldwide tobacco issues.  WHO identified six key tobacco control strategies that have been proven effective, and summarized them with the acronym MPOWER.  According to the report, only 5% of the world’s population is protected by national smoke-free legislation.  Furthermore, tobacco taxes collected worldwide add up to 500 times the amount of money spent on tobacco prevention and control.  The gap is far wider in lower income countries, where tobacco taxes are 9,000 times the size of tobacco prevention budgets, and 80% of the world’s tobacco deaths are expected to occur by 2030.  Read a summary here, or click here for a PDF of the entire WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008.

World leaders in smoking
Nearly 5.8 trillion cigarettes were sold worldwide in 2006, enough for 860 cigarettes for each person in the world. What country has the highest annual per capita cigarette consumption? Click here to find out.

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