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Dramatic New Findings Support Menthol As A Starter Tobacco Product For Youth - May 18, 2012
A new study released in the American Journal of Public Health finds that young smokers are more likely to progress from mentholated tobacco products to nonmentholated varieties over a short period of time.
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Fewer U.S. Teens and Young Adults Smoke - May 17, 2012
Fewer American teens and young adults are smoking cigarettes, a new government report shows.
The report, done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), revealed that the percentage of adolescents aged 12 to 17 who said they smoked cigarettes during the survey month has steadily declined from a high of almost 12% in 2004 to a low of 8.3% in 2010.
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Secondhand Smoke May Harm Heart Function - May 16, 2012
For nonsmokers, exposure to low levels of secondhand smoke for just 30 minutes can cause significant damage to the lining of their blood vessels, the results of a new study indicate.
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Prenatal smoking tied to worse asthma in kids - May 15, 2012
Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy may have a tougher time controlling their asthma than other kids do, a new study suggests.
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Prop. 29 proponents launch ads attacking 'Big Tobacco' - May 14, 2012
Backers of a tobacco tax initiative responded today with a trio of ads that seek to undermine the credibility of their tobacco-funded opposition, including two ads featuring cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.
The 15-second television spots began airing in Northern California markets this morning, according to the Yes on 29 campaign. The initiative would add a new $1 tax per pack of cigarettes to fund cancer and heart disease research.
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2009 Federal Tobacco Tax Increase Cut Number of Youth Smokers by At Least 220,000 in First Two Months Alone, New Study Shows - May 14, 2012
The large federal tobacco tax increase implemented on April 1, 2009, reduced the number of youth smokers by at least 220,000 and the number of youth smokeless tobacco users by at least 135,000 in the first two months alone, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
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Blood test may help identify kids' smoke exposure, study finds - May 11, 2012
More than half of the children who took part in a study on exposure to cigarette smoke tested positive for such exposure, despite only a handful of their parents admitting to lighting up, according to a U.S. study.
Parents may think their children are exposed only if they're around someone actively smoking a cigarette, or are unaware of where else their children may be breathing in smoke - but a blood test may help identify and reduce smoke exposure, said researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.
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About 20% of White Women Smoke While Pregnant - May 11, 2012
White women who are pregnant are more likely to smoke cigarettes than African-American or Hispanic mothers-to-be, a new government report shows. The study found that pregnant white women had high rates of cigarette smoking at 21.8% compared with 14.2% among African-American women and 6.5% among Hispanic women
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Move Your Butt to Kick Butt - May 9, 2012
A new study shows exercise can help smokers quit and stay smoke-free. Another reason to get physical, working out can increase life expectancy in both smokers and non-smokers alike.
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Cardiologists Urged to Lead in Smoking Cessation - May 9, 2012
Cardiologists as a group have largely ignored tobacco as a modifiable risk factor, concentrating instead on hypertension and dyslipidemia, a pattern Ottawa cardiologist Andrew Pipe, MD, calls “substandard care.”
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Air Force Hospitals and Clinics Are Now Tobacco-Free - May 7, 2012
An updated Air Force Instruction (AFI) on tobacco use in the service designates all Air Force hospitals and clinics as tobacco-free environments, and that includes the facility’s parking structures and lots, lawns, sidewalks, and base playgrounds. It has been about a decade since the last policy update on tobacco use, and in that time there has been a lot of momentum toward cracking down on the use of tobacco and reducing the impact of secondhand smoke.
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Tobacco’s War on Women - May 7, 2012
The global tobacco industry is aggressively targeting women in emerging markets in the developing world. Currently, very few women in developing countries smoke, but serious marketing efforts combined with the universal yearning to follow global fashion could change that number fast. Tobacco companies are spending billions of dollars in less-exploited markets to portray women who smoke as liberated, sexy, and slender.
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Menopause: Smokers Have More Hot Flashes - May 4, 2012
There are countless reasons why women who smoke should kick the habit for their health, but here's one more.
Smoking women have more hot flashes as they transition through menopause, and this is especially true for women who carry certain genes, a new study finds.
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Smokers dodge cigarette tax by switching to pipes, cigars - May 3, 2012
American smokers have shifted to pipe tobacco and large cigars since federal taxes on cigarettes were increased in 2009, a new government report concludes. Sales of pipe tobacco and large cigars, both taxed at a lower rate, have soared as smokers have adjusted their buying habits to the new price structure.
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New Study: Countries Can Reduce Worldwide Smoking 44 Percent in 20 Years by Immediately Adopting Proven Tobacco Control Policies - May 1, 2012
A new study published by the journal Tobacco Control found that if nations immediately implemented the proven, cost-effective tobacco control policies called for by the World Health Organization, they would reduce global adult smoking rates by 44 percent in 20 years. Such a decline would save tens of millions of lives from premature, tobacco-related deaths.
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Study Finds Smoking Leads To Increase in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - April 30, 2012
Eliminating smoking at home reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by 80 percent, an Australian study has found.
Research from the University of Sydney has proven a link between noxious fumes and SIDS. It found nicotine, the main neurotoxin found in cigarette smoke, increased the risk of SIDS by damaging brain stem cells receptive to the drug.
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Health Groups: Family Dollar Stores Should Reverse Decision to Start Selling Tobacco Products - April 27, 2012
Leading public health organizations are calling on Family Dollar Stores to reverse its recent decision to start selling cigarettes and other tobacco products.
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Warnings on Cigarette Packs May Keep Ex-Smokers From Relapse - April 26, 2012
Warnings on cigarette packages about the health hazards of smoking can help deter many ex-smokers from lighting up again, a new international study finds.
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Hispanics Seem to Have Better Odds of Lung Cancer Survival - April 25, 2012
Hispanic people with lung cancer tend to live longer than white or black people with the disease, according to a study published in the journal Cancer
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Tobacco Marketing Targets Low-Income, Black Youth, Researchers Say - April 23, 2012
Tobacco marketing is targeting California’s low-income and African American youth, according to researchers who examined advertising throughout the state. There was greater visibility of menthol cigarette advertising at retailers near high schools where there are larger African American student populations. According to the most recent statistics issued by the Federal Trade Commission, the tobacco industry spent $10 billion on marketing in 2008.
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NYC mayor wants buildings to set smoking rules - April 23, 2012
Residential buildings should adopt smoking policies and apartment hunters should be informed of the rules in writing, Mayor Michael Bloomberg argued as his administration proposed legislation aimed at helping New Yorkers find smoke-free housing.
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Half of Young Cigarette Smokers Also Smoke Pot: Survey - April 20, 2012
More young cigarette smokers may also be lighting up joints than was previously thought, a new study finds.
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Big tobacco groups fear spread of plain packaging - April 20, 2012
The world's top tobacco groups fear if new rules on plain packaging take hold in Australia and Britain they may spread to higher growth and potentially more lucrative emerging markets and put a curb on their future profits growth.
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Big Tobacco pays states $6.5 billion, unchanged from 2011 - April 17, 2012
Three of the biggest U.S. tobacco companies have paid a total of $6.5 billion this year to U.S. states, unchanged from 2011, under a 1998 national accord that obliges companies to help cover the health bills of ailing smokers.
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Mobile Technology May Help Curb Nicotine Addiction - April 17, 2012
A study which used mobile technology and new software to track smokers as they tried to quit offered insights into why some tobacco smokers quit the habit on the first try while others have to quit repeatedly, but never succeed.
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Smoking Associated with Hip and Knee Replacement Failure - April 16, 2012
Orthopaedic surgeons outline steps to help patients stop smoking, ideally before surgery. Tobacco and nicotine use are known to impair the body’s ability to heal bones and wounds.
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Could Anti-Smoking Hit the Jackpot Outside Atlantic City Casinos? - April 16, 2012
New Jersey prohibits indoor smoking in nearly all workplaces and buildings open to the public like restaurants, stores, and bars—with one huge exception, the casinos in Atlantic City.However, the $2.4 billion Revel will be the first smoke-free casino and some are hopeful it will help lay the groundwork for extending the smoking ban to other casinos.
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Smoking banned in New York State Parks in New York City - April 12, 2012
State parks in the five boroughs are going smoke-free.
State officials said it was done to make state parks consistent with their city-run counterparts, where smoking was outlawed last year.
Smoking will also be banned near pools and playgrounds at all other state parks outside of the city, as officials look to create “fresh-air” zones for parkgoers.
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Could Menthol Cigarettes Pose Even Higher Stroke Risk? - April 10, 2012
Menthol cigarettes may pose an even greater risk for stroke than other types of cigarettes, especially for women and non-black smokers, says a new, large study.
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Tobacco display ban 'to curb young smokers' - April 9, 2012
A ban on tobacco displays is coming into force in England - with ministers promising it will help curb the number of young people taking up smoking.
Cigarettes and other products will have to be kept below the counter in large shops and supermarkets, while small outlets are exempt until 2015.
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WTO dents U.S. ban on clove cigarettes - April 5, 2012
The World Trade Organization dealt a blow to a U.S. law barring the sale of clove-flavored cigarettes to discourage children from smoking, saying it was unfair to Indonesia because menthol cigarettes can still be sold in the United States.
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Diet, Smoking May Affect MS Progression - April 3, 2012
Dietary factors and cigarette smoking may alter the course of disease in patients with a milder form of multiple sclerosis, a new study finds.
Out of nearly 900 patients with what is called "relapsing onset" multiple sclerosis (MS), those who regularly consumed alcohol, caffeine and fish were less likely to progress to the point that they needed help walking, which is considered a milestone in the course of the disease. In contrast, cigarette smoking was associated with an increased risk of becoming disabled.
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Continued smoking can spread cancer - April 2, 2012
Cigarette smoke not only can cause cancer, but it’s also responsible for the spread of it, according to research by UC Merced biochemistry professor Henry Jay Forman.
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FDA: Big Tobacco must tell you what you're smoking - April 2, 2012
Tobacco companies must report how much formaldehyde, nicotine or any of 18 other harmful chemicals are in their products, as part of a larger government effort to regulate the tobacco industry.
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Early Secondhand Smoke Exposure Affects Girls More Than Boys - March 30, 2012
A new study found that the negative health effects of early-life exposure to secondhand smoke appear to impact girls more than boys—particularly those with early-life allergic sensitization. The findings appear in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.
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CDC: States Lag in Boosting Cigarette Taxes - March 30, 2012
Hiking up cigarette prices is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking, especially in youths and young adults. Yet a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that fewer states are increasing their cigarette excise taxes than in the past.
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Smoking Ban is Improving Health in Scotland - March 28, 2012
Scotland is continuing to gain the health benefits from the smoking ban introduced exactly six years ago, according to an anti-smoking charity Ash Scotland.
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Smoke-free casinos inevitable everywhere, advocate says - March 28, 2012
When the $2.4 billion Revel casino opens April 2 in Atlantic City, visitors will be able to indulge themselves with gambling, gourmet dining, drinking and dancing. But not smoking.
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Bloomberg charity adds $220 million to anti-smoking effort - March 26, 2012
Michael Bloomberg's charitable foundation will commit $220 million over the next four years to fight tobacco use globally, including for the funding of legal challenges against the industry.
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FDA: Dissolvable tobacco better for health, but could lead to more users - March 26, 2012
A Food and Drug Administration scientific advisory panel says dissolvable tobacco products could reduce health risks compared with smoking cigarettes. But the agency also warned the products have the potential to increase the overall number of tobacco users.
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New Study Calls Attention to Tobacco's Disproportionate Impact on Poor Nations - March 22, 2012
A new supplement published in the journal Cancer Causes and Control, features 11 studies showing the disproportionate impact of tobacco use, secondhand smoke exposure, and tobacco-related cancer and disease among those of lower socioeconomic position (SEP) and, in some cases, by gender and race/ethnicity.
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Secondhand Smoke in Childhood Linked to Lung Disease Years Later - March 21, 2012
Children exposed to secondhand smoke have nearly twice the risk of developing a lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when they're adults, a new study has found.
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New Graphic Warning Label Pass Another Hurdle - March 20, 2012
A federal appeals court has ruled that the government’s requirement that tobacco companies put graphic warning labels on cigarette packs is constitutional and does not violate the companies’ freedom of speech.
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Ban on smoking in cars with young children clears Md. Senate - March 19, 2012
The Maryland Senate approved a bill to prohibit smoking in cars if a child under 8 is a passenger, despite objections from some members who warned that the measure would lead to other bans.
The bill — which passed on a vote of 27 to 19 and now heads to the House of Delegates — would allow police to pull over violators and fine them up to $50.
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Study: Smoking Laws Prevented 800,000 Lung Cancer Deaths - March 16, 2012
The 1964 U.S. Surgeon General report linking tobacco use with lung cancer and the ensuing tobacco control policies prevented nearly 800,000 lung cancer deaths from 1975 to2000, according to a new analysis by researchers at the National Cancer Institute.
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NJ Lawmaker Pushes Tobacco Tax Hike - March 15, 2012
New Jersey lawmakers are considering raising the tax on all non-cigarette tobacco products to the same level as cigarettes. That would add millions to the dollars already flowing into the state’s economy. New Jersey taxes cigarettes at $2.70 a pack, among the highest in the nation.
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CDC unveils graphic ads to combat smoking - March 15, 2012
Federal health officials are unveiling Thursday a $54 million national media campaign to get smokers to quit and prevent anyone else, especially children, from starting.
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Study: Gay Adults More Likely to Smoke, Less Likely to Quit - March 13, 2012
A new survey out of Colorado suggests that a different approach to smoking cessation might be necessary for the LGBT community. The study findings showed that gay adults are roughly twice as likely as their heterosexual counterparts to smoke.
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New Report: Tobacco Companies and Convenience Stores Partner to Market Tobacco Products, Fight Life-Saving Policies - March 13, 2012
Tobacco companies have enlisted convenience stores as their most important partners in marketing tobacco products and fighting policies that reduce tobacco use, thereby enticing kids to use tobacco and harming the nation's health, according to a report released today by leading public health organizations.
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Ban on Public Smoking Linked to Fewer Preterm Deliveries - March 9, 2012
A smoking ban in Scotland is associated with decreases in preterm deliveries and underweight babies, a new study finds.
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Teen tobacco 'epidemic' shocks surgeon general - March 9, 2012
Many of America's teens smoke cigarettes as well as use smokeless tobacco, and the tobacco industry's marketing fuels their addiction, says the first U.S. surgeon general's report on youth tobacco use since 1994.
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For Many Asian New Yorkers, Smoking Is Still a Way of Life - March 7, 2012
In the heart of New York City’s largest Asian community, smoking is still a way of life. The city’s Asian population has been stubbornly resistant to the otherwise successful efforts by the Bloomberg administration to curb smoking among New Yorkers.
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Obama Administration Appeals Ruling on Tobacco Graphic Warning Labels - March 7, 2012
The Obama administration on Monday appealed a decision that found unconstitutional a U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation requiring tobacco companies to put large, graphic health warnings on cigarette packages and advertising.
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Smoking Linked to Higher Rate of Psoriasis: Study - March 5, 2012
Smokers are at higher risk of developing the autoimmune skin condition psoriasis than nonsmokers, a new study finds, possibly because smoking pushes the body's immune system into overdrive, one expert suggests.
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U.S. Will Push to Have Graphic Warnings on Cigarettes - March 2, 2012
Following a move by a U.S. federal judge to block a government mandate calling for graphic anti-smoking images on cigarette packaging, Obama Administration officials said they are determined to fight back and keep the rule in place.
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How Canada's new warnings look on actual cigarette packages. - March 1, 2012
As of March 21, 2012, all cigarettes manufactured or imported to Canada must have the new warnings covering 75% of the package front and back. Retailers have until June 18, 2012 to sell their old inventory before being required to only sell cigarettes with new warnings.
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States urged to restore funding for anti-smoking programs - February 28, 2012
A U.S. Surgeon General's report due to be released March 8 will come down hard on states that have cut anti-smoking funds in tough fiscal times.
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Many Americans Support Lower Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes - February 23, 2012
Most American adults support reducing nicotine in cigarettes to prevent people, especially children, from becoming addicted to smoking, a new study finds.
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Smoke-Free Laws Lead to Less Smoking At Home - February 21, 2012
Anti-tobacco laws in several European countries prompted many smokers to ban smoking at home and to cut their cigarette consumption, according to a recent study reported in the journal Tobacco Control.
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Young Adults Who Quit Smoking Feel Better Quickly - February 17, 2012
Young adults who quit smoking saw improvements in coughing and other respiratory symptoms within a few weeks, a new study indicates.
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Good News for Spanish Speakers Who Want to Quit Smoking - February 13, 2012
Alere Wellbeing’s tobacco cessation program “Quit For Life” is now available in Spanish, removing language as a major barrier to quitting for Spanish speakers.
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Smoke-Free Campuses from Sea to Shining Sea - February 10, 2012
All ten campuses of the University of California will be completely tobacco-free within the next two years, while on the other coast Nova Southeastern University is joining the University of Florida and other Sunshine State campuses in going smoke-free.
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Smoking Linked to Mental Decline in Men - February 8, 2012
Middle-age men who smoke may be setting themselves up for rapid cognitive decline, according to a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
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CDC: Too many kids breathe others' smoke in cars - February 6, 2012
Texting while driving, speeding and back-seat hanky-panky aren't all that parents need to worry about when their kids are in cars: Add secondhand smoke to the list.
In the first national estimate of its kind, a report from the CDC says more than 1 in 5 high school students and middle schoolers ride in cars while others are smoking.
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Smoking tied to higher psoriasis risk - February 3, 2012
Adding to the list of health consequences from smoking, a large study suggests that smokers have an increased risk of developing the chronic skin condition psoriasis.
People with psoriasis develop thick, red, scaly patches on the skin, which are often itchy or sore.
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Study: Air in Alexandria bars 36 times cleaner with smoking ban - February 2, 2012
The ban on smoking in bars and gaming establishments in Alexandria has made an immediate impact on air quality in those venues, a recently released study shows.
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When mom-to-be's overweight and smokes, risk for birth defects rises - February 1, 2012
Women who are both overweight and smoke during pregnancy could damage their baby's developing heart, a new study warns.
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Surprising Ways Smoking Affects Your Looks and Life - January 31, 2012
Maybe there is no fountain of youth, but there is a surefire way to make yourself look older. Smoking changes the skin, teeth, and hair in ways that can add years to your looks. It also affects everything from your fertility to the strength of your heart, lungs, and bones. Take a look at these side-by-side photos. Can you pick out the smoker?
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Big tobacco led throat doctors to blow smoke - January 27, 2012
Tobacco companies conducted a carefully crafted, decades-long campaign to manipulate throat doctors into helping calm concerns among an increasingly worried public that smoking might be bad for their health, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine.
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Dual smokers have different profile - January 25, 2012
Dual smokers -- people who smoke cigarettes and cigars -- fit a different profile than cigarette-only smokers, a U.S. public health organization says.
Legacy, a public health organization, showed smokers who use both cigarettes and cigars -- 12.5 percent -- were more likely to be young, African-American, male, of low educational attainment and unemployed compared with cigarette-only smokers.
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Smoking cessation counseling during routine hiv care helps patients quit - January 25, 2012
The provision of smoking cessation counseling and treatment during routine HIV care increases the chances that patients will quit smoking and stay stopped, according to Swiss research published in HIV Medicine. Physicians at the Zurich HIV clinic received training about smoking cessation counseling and the use of medication to help those wanting to quit. Compared to other patients in the Swiss HIV Cohort, individuals who received their care in Zurich were more likely to stop smoking and also less likely to restart smoking after they had quit.
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Tall task for underprivileged to stop smoking - January 24, 2012
When a smoker decides to quit, the task is never easy. New research finds the task is doubly hard if you are poor and uneducated. Researchers in New York followed smokers from different socioeconomic backgrounds after they completed a smoking cessation program in Arkansas.
Those with the fewest social and financial resources had the hardest time staving off cravings over the long run.“The poorer they are, the worse it gets,” said the clinical psychologist who directed the program.
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Anti-tobacco funding gone up in smoke - January 19, 2012
According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, states in fiscal year 2012 are collecting $25.6 billion in tobacco-related revenue. The American Medical Association pushed to maximize spending on smoking prevention and cessation. But states will spend only 1.8% of tobacco revenues on anti-tobacco programs. Worse, the spending is on a sharp decline — down 36% in four years.
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Cruise lines tighten tobacco rules - January 18, 2012
Several cruise lines have further limited smoking on ships, leaving a few designated areas as the last refuge to light up at sea.
Princess Cruises' guests won't be allowed to smoke in staterooms or on balconies starting with sailings on Monday. Three other lines recently tightened their smoking rules or will join Princess in doing so next week.
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Pennsylvania Hospital Won’t Hire Smokers; Why Not Bar Other Nasty Health Habits? - January 13, 2012
As of February 1, a Pennsylvania hospital will be enforcing a smoke-free policy for employees–on and off the job. They say they want to be a good example of health for their patients–as they should be–and smoking is certainly a good place to start. But what about other nasty health habits that aren’t so easy to test for? Will the hospital ban junk food, too?
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Smoking cessation efforts battling entrenched tobacco culture in military - January 12, 2012
“Smoke ’em if you got ’em.”
For generations of military personnel, that phrase originating in World War II was the signal to take a break or at least to cool their heels while waiting. Cigarettes were included in C-rations until 1975 and still are sold without taxes at military bases.
Returning troops face culture shock when they come home and find workplaces and public facilities are smoke-free. The costs of military smoking are nothing short of astronomical - - the cost of treating tobacco-related diseases is estimated to be more than $500 million per year for medical care and $346 million in lost productivity.
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Smokefree smartphone applications - January 11, 2012
The QuitGuide is a free application sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This app is designed to help you prepare to quit smoking and support you in the days and weeks after you quit.
The app allows you to search for content using keywords, save specific pages as favorites, and share information you are reading via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail. It also provides insight into what to expect when you quit, and how to deal with problems that may come up in your journey to be smokefree.
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Workplaces ban not only smoking, but smokers themselves - January 6, 2012
More job-seekers are facing an added requirement: no smoking — at work or anytime.
An increasing number of employers won't hire applicants whose urine tests positive for nicotine use, whether from cigarettes, smokeless tobacco or even patches.
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Smoking cessation - December 30, 2011
As the New Year begins, make 2012 the year that you quit smoking. Help is available to help you quit for good. Free help is available by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW. This may be the most important resolution you ever make.
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22 states endorse cigarette labels - December 27, 2011
A group of 22 states stated their support of graphic cigarette warning labels and their stance against a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the labels.
The states filed a friend-of-the-court brief that backs the Food and Drug Administration's attempt to introduce graphic labels that would cover half of a cigarette pack.
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NCI launches smoking cessation support for teens - December 21, 2011
A new effort to help teens quit smoking will use one of today’s teen’s most constant companions—the mobile phone. Developed by smoking cessation experts, SmokefreeTXT is a free text message service that provides 24/7 encouragement, advice, and tips to teens trying to quit smoking. The initiative is led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI.Teens can sign up online at teen.smokefree.gov or text QUIT to iQUIT (47848).
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Kids' leukemia risk tied to dads' smoking - December 20, 2011
Children whose fathers smoked have at least a 15 percent higher risk of developing the most common form of childhood cancer, a new Australian study finds.
kids whose fathers smoked at all around the time of their conception were 15 percent more likely to develop leukemia. Those whose dads smoked at least 20 cigarettes per day around that time were 44 percent more likely to be diagnosed with the cancer.
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Senators call for FDA ban on flavored cigars - December 19, 2011
Young smokers say these cigarette-size little cigars and cigarillos — slimmer versions of big cigars — look better and can be bought one at a time instead of spending more than $5 for a pack of cigarettes. Many teens also think that they are less addictive.
That’s a problem.
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Study: Smoking cessation ups happiness - December 16, 2011
People who quit smoking are happier and more satisfied with their health, compared to those who smoke, U.S. researchers say. Quitters scored higher on Quality of Life measures (health, self-regard, work, recreation,love relationship, friendships, relationships with children, home, neighborhood and community,etc.)than smokers.
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Decline in teen smoking resumes in 2011 - December 15, 2011
The 2011 national survey results from the Monitoring the Future study
show decreases in teen smoking in all three grades under study—grades 8, 10, and 12. The
proportion saying that they smoked fell significantly for the three
grades combined, from 12.8% in 2010 to 11.7% this year.
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The quiet epidemic: a killer lung disease strikes nearly 1 in 4 adults - December 15, 2011
According to a study in the September 2011 issue of The Lancet, COPD will strike one in four adults over the age of 35, a much higher percentage than previously reported. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevents air from reaching all the airways in the lungs, and is one of the most under-recognized diseases around.
Smoking is by far the highest risk factor for COPD, but it's not the only one. According to the World Health Organization, secondhand smoke is associated with a 10 to 43 percent increase in risk of developing COPD. The more exposure you have, the worse the damage.
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Electronic cigarette makers must prove safety of products: Report - December 14, 2011
Institute of Medicine details testing that should be done to back any claims of reduced disease risk
"These products are ones that might carry a claim that they have less risk to the user than a traditional tobacco product," said Dr. Jane Henney, chairwoman of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee that wrote the report. "...if those claims are to be approved by the FDA, the sponsor will have to bring a series of data to support that claim."
These products are sold as part of a strategy to lower tobacco-related death and disease, especially among smokers who have had trouble quitting, but not much is known about the overall health risks of these products, according to the committee.
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Smoking associated with non-melanoma skin cancer in women - December 13, 2011
Women who have non-melanoma skin cancers are more likely to have smoked cigarettes compared to women without skin cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Causes & Control. Study results showed that cigarette smoking was associated with non-melanoma skin cancer overall, and that the risk increased with numbers of cigarettes per day, total years of smoking, and pack-years smoked.
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Pennsylvania ranks 27th in protecting kids from tobacco - December 6, 2011
PA ranks 27th in the nation in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a national report by a coalition of public health organizations.
Pennsylvania currently spends $13.9 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is 9 percent of the $155.5 million recommended by the CDC. Other key findings for PA include:
• Pennsylvania this year will collect $1.5 billion in revenue from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 0.9 percent of it on tobacco prevention programs. This means Pennsylvania is spending less than a penny of every dollar in tobacco revenue to fight tobacco use.
• Since 1999, Pennsylvania has cut funding for tobacco prevention by 57 percent, from $32.1 million to $13.9 million.
• The tobacco companies spend $452.8 million a year to market their products in Pennsylvania. This is 32 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.
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States slash funding for tobacco prevention programs by 36 percent - December 6, 2011
Less Than Two Cents of Every Tobacco Dollar Spent to Fight Tobacco Use
States have slashed funding for programs to reduce tobacco use by 12 percent in the past year and by 36 percent over the past four years, threatening the nation’s progress against tobacco, according to a report released today by a coalition of public health organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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Find your smoking triggers - November 23, 2011
Triggers [drinking coffee or a cocktail, driving a car, finishing a meal, etc.] make it tough for smokers to quit. Once you recognize your own personal smoking triggers, you can use a few simple strategies to avoid or defuse them before they wear down your resolve.
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Baseball contract limits tobacco use - November 23, 2011
Baseball's new labor deal will limit the use of smokeless tobacco by players and offer them cessation classes, but not ban it during games, as public health groups had sought.
Matthew L. Myers, of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said that while he would have preferred a ban at games and on camera, the restrictions represent real progress.
"The new Major League contract takes an historic first step toward getting smokeless tobacco out of the ballgame, and makes significant progress toward protecting the health of big-league players and millions of young fans who look up to them," he said.
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