Quit Brief | February 2015 - ucanquit2.org - Healthcare Articles Reference

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Great American Spit Out – Ditch the Snuff for Better Stuff

Do you know that smokeless tobacco actually contains 3 to 4 times more nicotine than a cigarette? Many military members may think smokeless tobacco is a safer alternative to cigarettes, but the reality is, all tobacco is harmful.

On February 19 during the Great American Spit Out, help us encourage military members to Ditch Snuff for Better Stuff - Set a quit date and start thinking about saving money, time and health.

Please view and download our campaign materials or visit our events page on UCanQuit2.org. For more information on how to quit smokeless tobacco, visit UCanQuit2.org/QuittingDip or send us an email at info@UCanQuit2.org.

Excerpt from Resource Library Article: Quitting Smokeless Tobacco: Getting the Most Out of Your Quit Attempt

Click here to view the article from the UCanQuit2.org Resource Library.

The Best Time to Quit Is Now

There has never been a better time for Federal employees and members of their families to become tobacco free and support tobacco free living! People who stop using tobacco can enjoy immediate health benefits and greatly reduce their risk for diseases such as heart disease, lung disease, infections, osteoporosis, and many types of cancer. Although health benefits are greater for people who stop smoking at an earlier age, cessation is beneficial at any age. Quitting tobacco is one of the most important things you can do to protect your own health and your family’s well-being.

Click here to view the article from FEDmanager.

FDA Names Deputy Commissioner of Medical Products and Tobacco

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday named Dr. Robert Califf, a cardiologist and researcher, to oversee its drug, medical device and tobacco policy, in what experts said is a coup for the FDA. Califf was named as deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco, the most senior medical products position at the agency after the commissioner and one that has been empty for nearly two years.

Click here to view the article from Reuters.

American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control 2015

The American Lung Association has released its 13th annual "State of Tobacco Control" report that found in 2014 states and the federal government failed to pass the tobacco control policies that will save lives and end the tobacco epidemic. Most states earn poor grades and tobacco control progress is at a standstill. However, this year’s report goes beyond grading progress and provides steps the federal government and each state government must take to achieve bold lifesaving goals to eliminate tobacco use. "State of Tobacco Control 2015" looks at tobacco control policies at the federal and state level, and assigns grades based on whether state and federal laws protect people from the enormous toll tobacco use takes on lives.

Click here to view the press release from the American Lung Association.

Tobacco Cessation Among Users of Telephone and Web-Based Interventions

Smoking caused an average of 480,000 deaths per year in the United States from 2005 to 2009, and three in 10 cancer deaths in the United States are tobacco related. Tobacco cessation is a high public health priority, and all states offer some form of tobacco cessation service. Quitlines provide telephone-based counseling services and are an effective intervention for tobacco cessation. In addition to telephone services, 96% of all U.S. quitlines offer Web-based cessation services. CDC conducted a survey of users of telephone and Web-based cessation services in four states to determine the cessation success of users of these interventions.

Click here to view the study results from the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Shareholders Approve Reynolds' Acquisition of Lorillard

Lorillard Inc. announced the company's shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the proposal regarding Lorillard's combination with Reynolds American Inc. The transaction will unite Reynolds American, the No. 2, and Lorillard, the No. 3 tobacco company in the United States, challenging No. 1, Richmond, Va.-based Altria Group Inc. and its Philip Morris USA Inc.

Click here to view the article from Reuters.

Graphic New Anti-Smoking Campaign in China

A graphic anti-smoking campaign has been launched in China showing the long lasting effect of smoking and passive smoking on a person’s lungs. The footage, shared through ChinaSmack, shows a close-up of the organ with black spots covering the flesh.

Click here to view the article from Metro UK.

Baseball's Toxic Tradition of Chewing Tobacco

Once described as the nation's religion, baseball has a special place in American culture. But there is a darker side: the cancer-causing tradition of chewing tobacco, which has claimed the lives of some of its most celebrated players. 'Dip', 'chew', 'chaw' and 'baccer' are some of the names that refer to one baseball's oldest traditions - stuffing wads of tobacco into your lips or cheeks. Almost every American baseball film depicts the habit - Tom Hanks spits out a mouthful in A League of Their Own, and the young players from The Sandlot Kids urge each other to dip because "all the pros do it." There is little doubt that smokeless tobacco - the umbrella term that covers chewing tobacco and the more finely ground dipping tobacco - is a health hazard.

Click here to view the article from BBC.

Leading Cancer Research Groups Call for US Regulation of E-Cigarettes

The nation's two largest organizations of cancer specialists have urged the FDA to develop and implement regulations as soon as possible for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes. Although ENDS offer potential smoking-cessation benefits, the devices "may also be harmful, particularly to youth, if they increase the likelihood that nonsmokers or former smokers will use combustible tobacco products or if they discourage smokers from quitting," according to a report from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Click here to view the article from MedPage Today.

California Declares Electronic Cigarettes a Health Threat

California plans to launch a statewide campaign warning citizens about the health risks of electronic cigarettes. The campaign, which will include television and radio advertising, follows a report released on Wednesday by California health officials declaring electronic cigarettes a public health risk. The report urged lawmakers to regulate them like traditional cigarettes. “We really, really believe strongly people of California need to know what is in e-cigarettes and the harm that they can cause,” said Dr. Ron Chapman, state health officer and director, California Department of Public Health. He added studies show e-cigarettes release a mix of more than 10 toxic chemicals, such as benzene and acetaldehyde, that can cause cancer.

Click here to view the article from the Wall Street Journal.

Why Do Teens Still Smoke? On Addiction, Advertising, and the Rise of E-Cigarettes

U.S. teen smoking rates have dipped below 10 percent, but public health advocates worry that progress may soon level off, as other surveys suggest teens think light smoking is safe, and e-cigarette use is on the rise. “The real public impact is preventing teens from smoking— that remains the key, and one of the things that the furor over e-cigarettes can do is distract you from that debate,” Amy Fairchild, professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University, told FoxNews.com.

Click here to view article from Fox News.

Do E-Cigarettes Break the Hold of Big Tobacco or Condemn Kids to Addiction?

To advocates of electronic cigarettes, the burgeoning industry is the antidote to Big Tobacco. But public health officials and lawmakers believe that the sale of e-cigarettes could encourage a new generation of smokers. Makers of e-cigarettes -- which often contain nicotine -- claim vaping is safer than smoking, and that the practice helps smokers quit. New research and warnings, however, paint a different picture.

Click here to view the article from CBS News.

Be in the POC Spotlight

Share your cessation activities! We would like to hear about how you are promoting tobacco cessation and using our materials on your installation. Email us at info@UCanQuit2.org.

Join Us on Facebook and Twitter

Find us on Facebook and Twitter to check out our daily posts. Your participation helps to create an online community to support and encourage those you are helping to quit tobacco. Look for our periodic Facebook events.

Put Facebook to Work

“Like” Quit Tobacco—Make Everyone Proud and then use our page as a forum to converse with other military health professionals. “Share” selected QTMEP Facebook posts on your installation Facebook page to encourage service members to check out QTMEP on Facebook. But don’t stop there—reach out to your command and/or Public Affairs Officer and ask them to like our page—all it takes is a click.

For more information on this campaign, please contact info@UCanQuit2.org.