In This Issue:
 

Arizona Holds Leadership Academy for Wellness and Smoking Cessation Summit

SAMHSA releases 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Data 

TheCarrot.com Launches Quit Smoking Program

Cost of Smoking Calculator

Surgeon General's Report on Smoking-Attributable Disease

ALA's 2010 Tobacco Report Cards for States

______________________________________________________________________________

Arizona Holds Leadership Academy for Wellness and Smoking Cessation

Leaders from state agencies, consumers, behavioral health, the Arizona quitline, and tobacco cessation experts came together on January 14th for the Arizona State Leadership Academy for Wellness and Smoking Cessation Summit. At the beginning of the summit Dr. Laura Nelson, the Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, commented, "Through the work we'll do today, we'll have a tangible, concrete action plan. We have an incredible moment that we can take advantage of."

Although the mood was subdued due to recent tragic events in Tucson, the partners worked to create an action plan to lower the prevalence rate in Arizona's behavioral health population. Twenty-four participants, with representatives from each county agreed on the goal to reduce the prevalence of smoking in the behavioral health care system 40% by 2016. 

The summit partners identified 3 overarching strategies to reach this goal:

·         Peer intervention through treatment, education and marketing

·         Educate providers to help members quit smoking

·         Policy change and assessment

Arizona is the second of five states selected to hold Leadership Academies. The Academies are made possible by SAMHSA and the SCLC. The goals of the Academies are to reduce smoking and nicotine addiction among behavioral health consumers and staff, to stimulate cooperation and collaboration among the fields of public health, including tobacco control and prevention, mental health, addiction treatment and prevention. For more information about the Leadership Academies, contact Reason Reyes rreyes@medicine.ucsf.edu.

Back to top

SAMHSA Releases 2009 NSDUH Survey Data

The National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) provides a wealth of information on the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco by the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States age 12 and older. In addition, the survey gives national estimates on mental health measures such as serious mental illness, depression, and treatment.

The 2009 NSDUH data and documentation files are available for download and online analysis. Also, custom analytic tables can be generated with NSDUH data using Quick Tables - choose from preselected core variables by pointing and clicking from dropdown menus. A report from the 2009 NSDUH is now available that examines tobacco use:

• National Findings Report - Presents national estimates of rates of use, numbers of users, and other measures related to illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products. The report focuses on trends between 2008 and 2009 and from 2002 to 2009, as well as differences across population subgroups in 2009.

For example, here's a quick table on the age when respondents first smoked:

 

Quick Table: National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2009

Results: Age When Respondent First Used Cigarettes BY Gender (Percents)

---

	MALE	FEMALE	TOTAL
NEVER USED CIGARETTES	30.7	39.4	35.2
13 YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER	20.8	14.7	17.6
14-15 YEARS OLD	17.5	13.7	15.5
16-17 YEARS OLD	14.3	13.4	13.8
18-20 YEARS OLD	11.9	12.5	12.2
21-24 YEARS OLD	3.2	3.5	3.3
25 OR MORE YEARS OLD	1.7	2.8	2.3
Total Percent	100.0	100.0	100.0

 

 

Back to top

Leading Online & Mobile Health Company Partners with UC San Francisco to Deliver Innovative Program to Help Smokers Quit 

Cost of Smoking Calculator

The American Cancer Society has a customizable online tool to calculate the cost of smoking per day, week, month, year and the grand total for an individual's life to date. Link for cost of smoking calculator: 

http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/toolsandcalculators/calculators/app/smoking-cost-calculator.aspx 

Back to top  

A Report of the Surgeon General:

How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease - The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease.

Follow this link to the first full report on smoking by the current Surgeon General, Dr. Regina M. Benjamin.

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/tobaccosmoke/index.html

This page also features a short, realistic video PSA on how smoking causes heart attacks with a brief statement at the end by the Surgeon General, Dr. Regina M. Benjamin. The video is called, "Heart Stopper: How Tobacco Smoke Can lead to a Heart Attack - Even Death."

Back to top

American Lung Association's 2010 Tobacco Report Cards for States 

The American Lung Association released their latest report card on the state of tobacco control in 2010. Did your State make the grade? Click here, http://www.stateoftobaccocontrol.org/ to find out.

Back to top

Resource Highlights
 

1-800-QUIT-NOW wallet card
Available through the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, the card is similar in size and feel to a credit card and offers motivational language urging smokers to call the nation's free, effective, tobacco cessation counseling lines.

A New Way to Think About Quitting
About re-learning life without cigarettes, the free Become an EX plan is based on personal experiences from ex-smokers, as well as the latest scientific research from the experts at Mayo Clinic.

RWJF Tobacco Map

For the first time, policymakers and advocates have access to a nationwide picture of continuing state efforts on key tobacco control policies. The RWJF Tobacco Map uses data from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Americans for Non-Smokers' Rights and is updated as new information becomes available.

Have some news you would like to share?

Send us your updates.

Back to top