July/August 2003
Note: This publication has been individually transmitted to state tobacco program managers, ASTHO affiliates, and other tobacco prevention professionals. You are encouraged to forward all or part of this publication to STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS, COALITION MEMBERS, and OTHER PARTNERS. The Tobacco Free Press is produced by ASTHO under Cooperative Agreement N.U50/CCU306138-07 with the CDC Office on Smoking and Health.
While ASTHO
makes every effort to present accurate and reliable information in this
newsletter, ASTHO does not endorse, approve, or certify such information, nor
does it guarantee its accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Reference herein
to any product, process, or service does not constitute or imply endorsement or
recommendation by ASTHO unless expressly stated.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS:
·
SUPPLEMENT
– Economic Impact Studies
b
California
Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla introduced a motion last month requesting that the City Attorney prepare and present an ordinance amending the L.A. Municipal Code. The ordinance would require that at least one-half of all multi‑family housing units that are financed by Affordable Housing Trust Fund monies, provide “smoke-free” units. This motion was implemented by the efforts of the Smoke-Free Affordable Housing Campaign, comprised of voluntary and community-based agencies including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the Hispanic/Latino Tobacco Education Network, Watts Healthcare Corp., Social Model Recovery Systems, Inc., Robert F. Kennedy Institute, and S.A.F.E. (Smoke-free Air For Everyone). A survey of over 2,000 L.A. residents in multi-unit housing found that 41percent of respondents reported that they had experienced drifting tobacco smoke entering their unit. Thirty percent of those said they lived with someone who has a chronic condition or illness that is made worse by the smoke, yet only 17 percent complained to management. Eighty percent of non-smokers and even 33 percent of smokers said they would prefer to live in a smoke-free building.
For
more information, contact Joanne Wellman-Benson, Program Consultant, California
Tobacco Control Section, at JWellman@dhs.ca.gov.
Hawaii
The Hawaii County Council passed a smoking ban in public places including restaurants and bowling alleys. Stand-alone bars are exempt. Mayor Harry Kim signed the ordinance into law. Restaurants must be 100 percent smokefree by January 23, 2004 and smoking in attached bars must have separate ventilation by September 1, 2004. All counties in Hawaii are now covered by a 100 percent smokefree restaurant ordinance.
Kentucky
On July 1, 2003, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council passed the state’s first local tobacco law by an 11 to 3 vote. The comprehensive clean indoor air ordinance bans smoking in public places, including restaurants, bars, and cigar bars. It takes effect September 29, 2003. Kentucky is the second-largest tobacco growing state after North Carolina; Lexington is Kentucky's second-largest city. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson requested that the local Board of Health study laws that ban smoking in other cities, gather public comments, and make recommendations to him and the Metro Council by early fall on effective ways to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke indoors.
Maryland
Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan signed into law an ordinance that bans smoking in restaurants and bars. This is the first 100 percent smokefree county in the state and the first such ordinance in the Washington, DC metro-area. The County Council passed a similar law in 1999, but Maryland Court of Appeals overturned the law. The new law takes effect October 9, 2003.
For more information, go to SmokeFree
Montgomery County’s website at www.mcpartners.org/sfmenu.html.
New Hampshire
On August
19, 2003, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that the state's Indoor Smoking
Act preempts New Hampshire towns and boards of health from adopting smokefree
ordinances and regulations. The decision was a result of a lawsuit over
an ordinance in Colebrook that required 100 percent smokefree
restaurants. An amicus brief was prepared by Bob Kline of the Tobacco Control
Resource Center, and joined by the American Cancer Society, American Heart
Association, American Lung Association of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Medical
Society, New Hampshire Public Health Association, and Smoke-Free New Hampshire
Alliance.
To view
the Court’s decision, go to www.courts.state.nh.us/supreme/opinions/2003/coleb111.htm.
New York
In an effort to educate the public and businesses on New York State’s smokefree restaurant and bar law, which took effect July 24, 2003, the New York State Department of Health implemented a variety of public awareness activities. The Department launched a statewide toll-free information line, 1-866-NYS-CLEAN, to answer questions on the law and to provide information including local health department contacts and promotional materials. The Department also created three separate guides on the Clean Indoor Air Act, each tailored to the specific needs of the public, employers, and restaurant and bar owners. In addition, statewide training seminars were held for state and local health department staff responsible for enforcing the law and also for community partners providing public education and outreach.
For more information, go to www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/clean_indoor_air_act/index.htm.
Ohio
On July 11, 2003, Mayor Jack Ford of Toledo signed a clean indoor air legislation into law. The Toledo City Council passed the ordinance by an 11 to 0 vote. The ordinance bans smoking in restaurants, bingo halls, and bowling alleys, and allows for an enclosed, separately ventilated smoking lounge. The lounge can take up 30 percent of the restaurant or bar. The law takes effect August 31, 2003. Opponents of the law collected petition signatures to seek a referendum for the November 4, 2003 ballot. The Ohio Supreme Court deemed the Toledo-Lucas County Board of Health clean indoor air regulation unconstitutional in 2002. The court stated that the Board of Health did not have the authority to make health regulations regarding tobacco use.
West Virginia
On August 13, 2003, Tyler Wetzel County Board of Health voted for a strong clean indoor air regulation. It takes effect on January 1, 2004. Currently, 49 local boards of health in West Virginia have smoking bans in public places. Many counties across the state are considering strengthening laws. Only six more local boards of health have to pass clean indoor air ordinances until the entire state is covered by a regulation.
In addition, the Kanawha-Charleston Board of Health and the Cabell-Huntington Board of Health will have a joint case heard before the state Supreme Court in October 2003. Both jurisdictions implemented smoking bans that included restaurants and bars. A permanent injunction was placed on Cabell County’s ban due to fines for ban violators. The court judge deemed the board of health does not have authority to impose criminal penalties, only civil ones. A temporary injunction was placed on the Kanawha-Charleston ordinance in which the court judge decided the board of health could not pass regulations inside bars and alcohol-serving restaurants because state law considers them private clubs, not public places.
Maine
As part of the “Don't Get Me Started” youth-focused
counter-marketing campaign, the Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine (PTM) has
developed a campaign for middle schools that focuses on changing social norms.
The “92%” teaser campaign plays on the fact that 92 percent of Maine
middle schoolers do not think that smoking is cool. The campaign entails
posters and signs placed around the schools with different cryptic
messages. Day one poster states 92%!,
while day two posters
states Here's a clue. It's all about You! and so on. Youth Advocacy
Program youth get the buzz going, encouraging students to guess what 92%
means. The final day of the teaser culminates with a school assembly or event
where the answer is revealed. It has been successful with middle school
students and has generated awareness.
For more information, contact MaryBeth Welton, Program Manager,
PTM, at marybeth.t.welton@maine.gov.
New Jersey
More than 600 members of REBEL (Reaching Everyone By
Exposing Lies), New Jersey's youth anti-tobacco movement, stepped up the fight to
call public attention to the dangers of tobacco use by conducting a STOMP OUT
SMOKING (SOS) march of 10,700 steps in memory of the number of New Jersey
residents who die each year from tobacco-related illnesses. REBEL members created a sidewalk memorial with 10,700
personalized footprints, each conveying a personal story with words or
pictures, a declaration to give up smoking, or a pledge in support of the REBEL
SOS campaign. Following the SOS march,
a celebration was held to recognize the advances in New Jersey tobacco control
over the last year. REBEL members presented "reflections" on the most
compelling stories they encountered during the foot collection process. REBEL
members also performed original anti-tobacco songs and skits.
For
more information, go to www.njrebel.com.
South Carolina
Rage Against the Haze, South Carolina’s teen
anti-smoking movement, went on the road from August 1-5, 2003 on the
“Transmission Tour.” Eighteen teens,
divided into three teams, performed “missions” such as street marketing or a
“Secondhand Lemonade Stand” in an effort to win the intense five-day
competition. MTV celebrity Oscar Hernandez of Road Rules fame emceed the Tour.
According to Quentin James, a Tour participant and RAGE member from Mauldin,
“With RAGE, we can get out into the community and spread our message. The Tour’s like a new way of making our
voices heard.”
For more information, contact Heather at
864-672-9654, or visit the RAGE website at www.rageagainstthehaze.com
Women and Smoking Campaign
The Society for Women’s Health Research
launched the Her Cancer campaign, a lung cancer awareness
initiative to educate women about the deadly disease, the dangers of tobacco,
and how addiction affects women. Country music singer Trisha Yearwood stars in
a series of radio and television public service announcements designed to
educate women of all ages about the disease that kills more than breast or any
other form of cancer. The campaign also includes a website at www.hercancer.org and
free educational materials available by calling 1-866-HerCancer. The
on-line and print information outlines women's unique cancer risks, how and why
smoking cessation is more difficult for women, and also provides resources for
those trying to quit.
For more information, go to www.hercancer.org.
Excise tax
There has been much policy movement to increase
tobacco excise taxes in the last two years.
A total of 31 states have increased their tobacco
tax as of January 1, 2002. These increases
have raised the average state cigarette tax from $0.434 on December 31, 2001, to
$0.729. By combining state taxes with the $0.39 federal cigarette tax, the
average state-federal cigarette excise tax totals approximately $1.12. Here is
a snapshot of the latest state actions to increase the tobacco tax.
Alabama voters will have the opportunity to vote on
Governor Bob Riley’s budget in a September 9, 2003 election. The budget plan
includes a $0.145 increase in the cigarette excise tax, to total $0.31. In
addition, tax on other tobacco products would double. The Governor’s plan would also eliminate local authority to levy
tobacco taxes.
Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner signed legislation
to increase the cigarette excise tax by $0.31, to total $0.55. The levied tax
took effect on July 31, 2003.
In July 2003, Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn signed
legislation to increase the cigarette excise tax by $0.45, to total $0.80. The levied tax took effect July 22, 2003.
In July 2003, New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy
signed legislation to increase cigarette excise tax by $0.55, to total
$2.05. The levied tax took effect on
July 1, 2003. New Jersey’s excise tax
increased by $0.70 in 2002 and now has the highest state excise tax in the
country.
Georgia
The Georgia Physician Advisory Board was formed in February 2003 as a by-product of a prior hospital marketing campaign. After many months of marketing the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line to hospital groups, the decision was made to form an advisory board of state physicians to act as advocates for the Quit Line to local communities, to be the local experts on tobacco issues, and to act on behalf of the Quit Line at local speaking engagements.
Physicians were recruited from all areas of the
state and from all specialties. In February of 2003, when Board members
gathered for the first time, there were 40 physicians representing various
specialties such as internal medicine, neurosurgery, ob/gyn, oncology,
cardiothoracic surgery, etc. At this meeting, the physicians, along with the
Health District Director, were given an introduction to the services of the Quit
Line. Since this time, several board members have presented the Quit Line
information at statewide physician conferences and all have become involved at
the local level. As a result of their activities, provider referrals to the
Quit Line have increased nearly 133 percent.
As the research shows, physician intervention
increases quit rate attempts. Georgia hopes that as larger numbers of
physicians become aware of the Quit Line, the numbers of physicians conducting
cessation interventions will increase and make for a healthier Georgia.
For more information, contact Alisa Porter, Program
Manager, Georgia Tobacco Use Prevention Program, at 404-463-3765 or amporter@dhr.state.ga.us.
Maine
Evaluation of Partnership For a
Tobacco-Free Maine's (PTM) Tobacco Treatment Initiative looked at the HelpLine
and the Tobacco Medication Voucher Program.
During 2002, the HelpLine's first full calendar year, 4,687
residents were given assistance. Between August to October 2001, 33 percent of
callers had quit using tobacco and 73.6 percent had made a serious quit
attempt. In the second Quit Survey (Quit Survey II), between December 2001 to
January 2002, 78 percent made a serious attempt to quit and 65.4 percent quit
smoking for one week or longer. A total of 15 percent had stopped smoking.
Combining Quit Surveys I and II, 21.5 percent of smokers were not
smoking 6 months after HelpLine counseling. The HelpLine was able to
reach uninsured smokers and adults 25 to 40 years old, which traditionally are
both groups difficult to reach through traditional healthcare channels.
Beginning August 2002, PTM launched the
Tobacco Medication Voucher Program. Accessed through the HelpLine, the Vouchers
can be exchanged for up to 8 weeks of nicotine gum or patch therapy. A smoker
is eligible if he/she is aged 18 or over, interested in quitting, agrees to
speak to a HelpLine Specialist, and has no insurance benefit coverage for
nicotine replacement therapy. Medicaid beneficiaries are not eligible for
Vouchers; MaineCare (Maine's Medicaid program) pharmacy benefits include
nicotine replacement therapies. 48 percent of Helpline callers from August 2002
through March 2003 were granted Vouchers. Of those granted Vouchers,
only 3 percent failed to pick the medication up at their designated
pharmacy.
The PTM Tobacco Treatment Initiative
is implemented by the Center for Tobacco Independence of Portland,
Maine. The Initiative was evaluated by
the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Maine Medical Center Research
Institute.
For more information, contact MaryBeth Welton, Program Manager,
PTM, at marybeth.t.welton@maine.gov.
Minnesota
A new web-based cessation service launched by the Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco is the first in a series of new individual stop-smoking tools that will be launched under the QUITPLAN (TM) name. The website, www.quitplan.com, offers smokers self-evaluations to assess readiness to quit, discussion forums with other smokers, an online buddy system, access to experts for questions and answers, one-on-one assistance from a counselor, and more. New services will be launched through QUITPLAN, including a work-site cessation program for employees and services designed for the unique needs of high-risk communities, such as pregnant women and communities of color.
For more information, go to www.quitplan.com or www.mpaat.org.
North Carolina
On July 10, 2003, the North Carolina Prevention Partners and the
North Carolina Division of Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Control
Branch and Cancer Prevention and Control Branch launched a statewide cessation network called
“Quit Now NC” that
links all stakeholders to shape and promote cessation within the state. Smokers can access the
statewide cessation quitline, which is provided by the National Cancer
Institute. Providers have access to a “Starting the Conversation”
tool on cessation and the 5A’s. The
effort is marketed to local health departments and providers across the state.
For more information, visit the Quit Now NC! Website
at www.quitnowNC.org.
Ohio
The Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control
Foundation launched the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line on August 18, 2003. Targeted
marketing efforts are focused on populations in Ohio with high incidences of
tobacco use, including African-Americans in Cuyahoga and Lucas counties and
rural Appalachians in Athens. The Foundation plans to study the effectiveness
of quitline services among these populations.
The Quit Line offers individualized counseling, relapse prevention
techniques, scheduled calls from counselors, information on medication and
nicotine replacement therapies, printed materials and details about
face-to-face classes that are available in the caller's area. The Quit Line is
provided by National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO
For more information, go to www.standohio.org.
SUPPLEMENT – Economic
Impact Studies
The following
is a brief summary of studies documenting the economic impact of smokefree laws
on the hospitality industry that were released in the summer 2003. For more information on secondhand smoke and
policy, go to Americans for Non-Smokers’ Rights website at www.no-smoke.org.
·
A
study entitled "New York's Smoke-free Regulations: Effects on Employment
and Sales in the Hospitality Industry" shows that smoke-free regulations
were not associated with adverse economic outcomes in New York restaurants and
hotels. The study assessed restaurants and hotels in five locations in New York
state that have implemented smoke-free dining regulations since 1995. Research
focused on changes in taxable changes in sales and employment. The study was published in the June 2003
issue of the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly.
To view the study, go to www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/publications/hraq/feature/pdf/nysmokefree.pdf.
·
The
New York City Department of Health announced that employment in the city’s restaurants
and bars increased since the implementation of the Smoke Free Air Act. Data
generated from the New York State Department of Labor found that
seasonally-adjusted employment in the city’s restaurants and bars grew by 0.9
percent between March and June of this year, compared to 0.2 percent in the
same period last year. Restaurant and
bar employment surpassed the 0.1 percent overall job growth the city has
experienced since the smoke-free law took effect. According to New York City Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden,
MD, MPH, “Today's data indicate that as with previous smoke-free laws in New
York City and elsewhere, the law has not had an overall negative impact on
business.”
For more information, go to http://nyc.gov/html/doh/html/public/press03/pr081-0723.html.
·
An
economic impact study of the smoke-free restaurant ordinance in Minot, North
Dakota was conducted by Minot State University. Sales tax data were obtained from
the Office of the North Dakota Tax Commissioner. Data were collected from the first quarter of 1997 through the
fourth quarter of 2002, with restaurant sales analyzed as a fraction of total
retail sales. Analysis of six years of sales tax data, five years before and
one year after implementation of the smoke-free ordinance, shows no economic
effect of the non-smoking ordinance on Minot restaurants in spite of claims
that the non-smoking ordinance would hurt restaurant business.
For more information contact:
Kelly Buettner Schmidt, Minot State University, at schmidtk@minotstateu.edu
or go to www.no-smoke.org/minotpress.pdf.
· South Dakota Department of Revenue’s January 2000 through May 2003 South Dakota “Sales and Use Tax Reports” show that restaurant gross sales revenue has not declined since the smokefree law was implemented in July 2002. South Dakota’s clean indoor law took effect July 1, 2002 and prohibits smoking in all public places and worksites unless such worksites have a liquor license, a video lottery license, or a casino license.
For more information, go to www.sdtobaccofree.org.
Smoke-Free Families National
Program Office announces Call for Proposals
Smoke-Free Families announced a Call For Proposals
for Phase III of “Innovations to Stop Smoking During and Beyond Pregnancy,” which supports research to
develop and evaluate effective new interventions to help women quit smoking
before, during, and after pregnancy. Five 2-year observational studies will be
funded at approximately $200,000 each.
Up to seven 2-year pilot studies will be funded at $250,000 each. Application deadline for
Pilot and Observational Studies is August 26, 2003.
Applications for New Investigator Dissertation
Awards will be accepted until October 7, 2003. The grantmaking online system is
not available for these awards. Only paper submissions will be accepted. There
are special instructions and criteria for this category of awards. Applicants
are encouraged to contact the Smoke-Free Families National Program Office at SFF@obgyn.uab.edu.
For more information on either Call for Proposals,
go to www.smokefreefamilies.org.
Tobacco Industry
Altria Group, Inc. (Philip Morris' parent company) awarded over $1.2 million in grants to 15 local coalitions to combat hunger among the elderly. The Senior Helpings Community Coalitions grant program was launched in partnership with the National Meals on Wheels Foundation. Projects have been funded in California, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
On June 23, 2003, Philip Morris USA began airing television ads featuring its website as a source of information on tobacco and health issues. The ad campaign follows a November 2002 insert that ran in newspapers across the country. The website was launched in 1999.
For more
information and to view the television ads, go to www.pmusa.com.
SAVE THE DATE
·
Cancer Conference
September 15-18, 2003; Atlanta, GA.
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
For more information, go to www.cancerconference.net.
·
National Hispanic/Latino Conference on Tobacco Prevention
and Control
September 25-26, 2003; Washington, DC
Sponsor: National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco
Prevention (LCAT)
For more information, go to www.nlcatp.org.
·
American Public Health Association’s 131st
Annual Meeting and Exposition
November 15-19, 2003; San Francisco, CA
For more
information, go to www.apha.org/meetings/.
·
2003 National Conference on Tobacco or Health
December
10-12, 2003; Boston, MA
For more
information, go to www.tobaccocontrolconference.org/2003Conference/.
FFor
Cessation
·
Researchers from the Oregon Health and Science University found
that nicotine levels in cigarettes vary.
Through analysis of 11 commercial cigarette brands, researchers found
that some contained 10 to 20 times
higher percentages of nicotine in the so-called "free-base" form, the
most addictive form. For example, one type of Marlboro, the leading U.S. brand
of king-sized filter cigarettes, contained about 10 percent free-base nicotine.
The study was published in the
American Chemical Society's journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.
For more information, go to www.ohsu.edu/news/2003/071803smoke.html.
·
Preliminary
evaluation results of First Breath, a Wisconsin smoking cessation program for
pregnant women, found quit rates of 43.8 percent among First Breath enrollees
at one month postpartum, compared with 17.8 percent in the comparison
group. First Breath was established as
a pilot program in late 2000 and expanded statewide in 2003. The Wisconsin
Women’s Health Foundation coordinates the program. The study was published in
the Wisconsin Medical Journal (Vol 102, No. 3).
To view the study, go to www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/uploads/wmj/Jehn2.pdf.
For more information about First Breath, go to www.wwhf.org/fb_web/fb_home.html.
·
According
to research from the American Legacy Foundation, 65 percent of young female
smokers aged 16 to 24 want to quit smoking, but only 3 percent succeeded in
quitting for at least a year. Data shows that 83 percent of young female
smokers believe they can quit smoking, and that 60 percent tried to quit at
least once in 2002. Data was extrapolated from the Legacy Media Tracking Survey
(LMTS) and the National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS).
For more information, go to http://pressroom.americanlegacy.org/factSheets/53TDytxJUxurKt9wWdLWTG/index_html/view.
Excise tax
·
An
updated version of Tobacco Tax Challenge, a 4-page report from the Smokeless
States National Policy Initiative, outlines support for an increase in
cigarette excise taxes, offers insight on the legislative front, and contains
state-by-state data.
For more information, go to www.smokelessstates.org/downloads/TaxChallenge.pdf.
·
A
new report from researchers at the University
of California, San Francisco finds evidence contradicting tobacco industry
claims that higher tobacco excise taxes lead to increased smuggling. Researchers estimate that in California, 1 percent to 4.2 percent ($7 million to $45
million annually in lost tax revenue compared to $1.1 billion in cigarette
taxes actually collected by the state) of cigarettes smoked in California are
smuggled.
To view the report, go to http://repositories.cdlib.org/ctcre/tcpmus/Smuggling2003/.
·
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) launched a new website to
promote smoking cessation and contains an variety of materials for cessation
including an online quit guide, a listing of state quitlines, access to NCI
experts, and cessation materials for special populations.
To visit the site, go to www.smokefree.gov.
·
A study entitled, “Impact of economic policies on reducing tobacco
use among Medicaid clients in New York,” examined the impact of New York
State’s recently implemented Medicaid coverage for prescription cessation
pharmacology and a $0.55 cigarette excise tax increase. Researchers found that over 80 percent of
Medicaid clients reported some desire to stop smoking, while 40 percent
intended to stop smoking in the next 6 months. Awareness of Medicaid coverage
for tobacco cessation pharmacotherapy was 7 percent for nicotine replacement
therapy and 13 percent for bupropion. Use of these stop- smoking medications
varied across products but in general was less than 10 percent. Half of the
Medicaid clients reported changing their smoking behavior as a result of the
cigarette tax increase. The study was published in the July 2003 issue of Preventive
Medicine.
Secondhand Smoke
·
The
Michigan Smoke-free Regulation Task Force, comprised
of many partners including the Michigan Department of Community Health’s
Tobacco Control Section, Michigan Association for Local Public Health, and
Marquette County Tobacco-Free Community Coalition, developed a Clean
Indoor Air Regulation Toolkit. This
contains information on community and coalition assessments, fact sheets,
strategic planning, media plans, model policy language, voter opinion surveys,
communication pieces, etc.
Available online at www.tobaccofreemichigan.org/ciaregulationtoolkit.htm.
·
The
North Carolina Division of Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Control
Branch launched a new website, www.workingsmokefree.com, which contains
communications and policy tools to promote smokefree worksites. Information is
targeted for both employers and employees and includes information of health
effects and costs of secondhand smoke, policy implementation guide for
businesses, sample policies, sample employee surveys, cessation information,
area business success stories, and more.
·
A
study describing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of smokers
and nonsmokers regarding smoking bans and child secondhand smoke
exposure found an increase in support for smoking bans in public places between
2000 and 2001. During the same time period, adults’ knowledge of the
harm caused by tobacco was unchanged, with the vast majority of
adults recognizing the dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke from
parental smoking (95 percent) and exposure in cars (77 percent).
The study was published in the July 2003 issue of Pediatrics.
For more information, go to http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/112/1/e55.
·
The
Smoke-Free Environments Law Project’s latest addition to their web site titled
“PowerPoint Presentations on Smoke-Free Environments Issues,” provides
powerpoint presentations that can be adapted by states and locals. For example, a powerpoint that was used in
Michigan counties at public hearings/meetings conducted by county health
departments when seeking citizen input on proposed smokefree regulations is
currently posted. Other presentations include
economic impact on businesses and smokefree apartments. Additions are welcome
by contacting Jim Bergman at jbergman@tcsg.org.
To view the new section, go to www.tcsg.org/sfelp/Powerpoint_Sfelp.htm.
·
The
report “Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2003” from the Federal
Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics found that children’s exposure
to secondhand smoke has dropped in recent years. Research measuring children’s levels of cotinine, an indicator of
nicotine levels, found that the number of children with cotinine in their blood
dropped to 64 percent in 1999-2000 from 88 percent in 1988-1994. In 1999-2000,
86 percent of Black, non-Hispanic children ages 4 to 11 had cotinine in their
blood, as did 63 percent of White, non-Hispanic children, and 49 percent of
Mexican American children. “Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being
2003” is the 7th annual monitoring report of the status of the nation’s
children released by the U.S. Government.
For more information, go to www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/