National

Exposure to tobacco smoke causes immediate damage, says new Surgeon General's report
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin has released a new report detailing the specific ways that tobacco smoke damages the body, leading to disease and death. The report explains how tobacco smoke causes immediate cell damage and tissue inflammation, which decreases the body’s ability to heal. The report also describes how the toxic and carcinogenic chemicals in cigarettes cause cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, and harm to the reproductive system. It illustrates the addictiveness of tobacco products and examines factors that play a role in nicotine addiction. The data indicate that the risk and severity of adverse health outcomes are directly related to the level of exposure to tobacco smoke, and that there is no safe level of exposure. Because of the large amount of negative health effects associated with smoking, the Surgeon General urges smokers to quit smoking as soon as possible. Click here to read more, or click here to access tools and resources including the full report, the executive summary, a webcast of the announcement of the report, a fact sheet, guide for clinicians, and a consumer guide. The report will be highlighted on several CDC outlets, such as their online feature article, Twitter, and Facebook.

HHS launches Healthy People 2020
On December 2, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched the Healthy People 2020 initiative, which provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. The HP2020 agenda includes several objectives specifically related to tobacco control. The tobacco use objectives fall under three main areas: Tobacco Use Prevalence, which includes implementing policies to reduce tobacco use and initiation among youth and adults; Health System Changes, which include increasing access, affordability, and use of smoking cessation services and treatments; and Social and Environmental Changes, which include making policies to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, increasing the cost of tobacco, restricting tobacco advertising, and reducing sales to minors. Click here for more information on the tobacco use objectives and targets, including specific strategies and interventions, or click here for more information about the other Healthy People objectives.

Surveillance summaries: Surveillance for certain health behaviors among states and selected local areas - United States, 2008
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summary that includes data on a variety of behaviors related to chronic disease, such as cancer screenings, physical activity, and smoking. The data are from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an ongoing, state-based random telephone survey of non-institutionalized adults residing in the United States. The report provides detailed adult smoking data by state and territory and for some metropolitan areas and counties. Health data related to smoking, like asthma, coronary heart disease, and stroke rates are also reported. These data can be used to inform state and local officials of the smoking rates for the areas they represent or to generate local media coverage. Click here to download the summary. See Tables 35 and 36 (pages 113-120) for smoking-specific data. Click here to access the web version of the Summary.

American Journal of Preventive Medicine Supplement - ClearWay Minnesota: Advancing tobacco control through applied research
The December 2010 Special Supplement in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine includes a series of papers prepared by ClearWay Minnesota, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health of Minnesotans by reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. The supplement’s articles focus on clean indoor air policies, increasing access to cessation treatment, and health disparities. It contains four articles about the impact of clean indoor air policies, five articles about treatment access and tobacco use among priority populations, two review articles, and two commentaries. Click here to access the articles.

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