|
Tobacco Education E-Newsletter
Adolescent Patients and Smoking Cessation
April 2013, Issue 1
|
|
|
| Illinois Tobacco Quitline |
Refer your patients to the Illinois Tobacco Quitline, a free resource, funded by the Illinois Department of Public Health, for people who want to quit for good. Registered nurses, respiratory therapists, and certified tobacco-treatment counselors are on call 7 days a week, 7am-11pm, to answer all of your patients' tobacco-related questions. The Quitline serves a diverse client base, with Spanish-speaking counselors and live translation services in over 200 languages! Refer your patients today by using the Illinois Tobacco Quitline fax referral form in English or Spanish.
If you want more information about the Illinois Tobacco Quitline, or for free promotional materials (brochures, tear off pads, posters, etc.), please contact the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at 217-787-5864.
|
|
|
| About this Newsletter |
The IAFP is pleased to announce a 2013 e-newsletter series regarding smoking prevention and cessation. Each newsletter will have a specific focus, with the first being the adolescent patient. This issue, along with each subsequent e-newsletter, will contain updates, links to resources, and strategies for you to implement in your practice. This newsletter was created by the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians and the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and is made possible by the Cook County Department of Public Health through funds received from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Do you have questions regarding smoking cessation? Do you have a success story that you would like to share in an upcoming issue? Contact Sara Gadberry, IAFP Education and Accreditation Manager, at sgadberry@iafp.com.
|
| Take Our Survey! | The Cook County Department of Public Health, Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, and the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics want to help you make the most of smoking cessation programs in your practice! Please help us by taking this brief survey, so that we may better serve you.
|
|
|
|
| Tar Wars: Celebrating 25 Years | 
Tar Wars was developed 25 years ago (in 1988) by family physician Jeff Cain, MD of Denver, along with a teacher named Glenna Pember. The program combines the patient education of a doctor with the education expertise of a teacher to appropriately target this program to 4th and 5th graders in a fun and interactive one-lesson program. Dr. Cain went on to become president of the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2012.
Tar Wars focuses on the short-term effects of tobacco use, allowing students to come to the conclusion that tobacco takes a nasty toll on you right away, not something that simply makes you sick and die when you're old. Students also explore the immediate impact of decreased lung capacity caused by smoking and the severe hit to your wallet that a pack-a-day smoking habit will make. Illinois has among the highest tobacco taxes in the nation, so when added to local taxes, a pack of cigarettes can cost $11 in Chicago and at least $7 a pack statewide. Students also learn about how the tobacco industry continues to target young people with misleading advertisements and even new "smokeless tobacco" products to try to hook a new generation of customers.
 | | Taylor Coley and Senator Dick Durbin |
Students have the option of creating a positively-themed poster illustrating their reasons for choosing a tobacco-free life. The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians Foundation holds an annual state poster contest and sends our winning poster to the National Tar Wars Poster Contest each July in Washington, D.C. The winning Illinois artist also has the opportunity to attend the poster contest in D.C. and visit with his or her U.S. Senators and Representative on Capitol Hill in an unforgettable experience along with state poster contest winners from around the nation. In 2012, the Illinois poster, created by Taylor Coley of Bolingbrook, won 5th place in the national contest.
The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians' (IAFP) Family Health Foundation of Illinois manages the Illinois Tar Wars program. Many family physicians, family medicine residents and medical school students volunteer their time to visit a local school to teach the Tar Wars program, which is entirely free to schools and free for presenters. Thanks to the wonderful dedicated efforts of several Illinois county health departments, Tar Wars has been a fixture in schools throughout the state since 2000.
Check out the Tar Wars website at www.tarwars.org where you can find the free program guide, along with tons of information and resources to implement tobacco prevention education in your community.
Our Illinois Tar Wars program has an annual White Sox Game fundraiser. Our game is Wednesday, July 24 and you can get lower box tickets for $35 (less than face value) with $15 of each ticket going directly to support Tar Wars and you can print an order form off the IAFP web site.
|
| Resources You Can Use |
American Academy of Pediatrics
- List of websites that help teens quit tobacco - A pdf of resources regarding youth cessation.
- Teens and tobacco fact sheet - A handout for teens explaining the many consequences of smoking.
- Guidance on talking to teens about drugs - This fact sheet providers can share with parents about the importance of talking to their teens about drugs.
American Lung Association
- A study from Pediatrics suggests that the addition of physical activity to the Not-On-Tobacco (NOT) Teen Smoking Cessation Program can improve success for teens. Read more about the study's findings here.
CDC Posters for Provider Practices
- Decorate your office with posters encouraging teens to quit smoking.
National Cancer Institute, US Department of Health and Human Services, and National Institutes of Health - SmokeFree Teen Program
- This free online program, designed specifically for teens, includes 'Smokefree Txt,' a 'Quit-ism' of the day, and a 'QuitSTART Smoking App.'
US Department of Health and Human Services
US Preventative Services Task Force - Draft Guidelines for Counseling Youth On Not Smoking
- Read the draft guidelines here and access the evidence report that helped mold the recommendations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
