A Note From Robin

truth� continued its drumbeat this month with two new "Progress Report" ads released on television and online. These ads are the latest evolution of the Finish It campaign launched in August. The first ad highlights the dramatic reductions in youth tobacco use in Florida from 15.7% in 2005 to 7.5% in 2014, and the second ad applauds CVS Health for making the groundbreaking move this Fall to eliminate tobacco sales from their stores, choosing to place public health ahead of corporate profit. Both ads can be viewed on truth's YouTube page. 

Earlier in November, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data from its 2013 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). First the good news, use of traditional cigarettes continues to decline (the cigarette smoking rate among high school students in 2013 was down 14% from 2012).  However, use of other tobacco products is very concerning, as 90% of high school students are currently using combustible tobacco products such as cigars, little cigars, cigarillos, and hookah. These products, as yet unregulated by the FDA, are especially appealing to youth because they are cheaper, candy flavored and in the case of hookah, wrongly perceived to carry less risk. Also troubling - between 2011-2013, teen use of electronic cigarettes has tripled (4.5% in 2013 compared to 1.5% in 2011). While e-cigarettes may present a legitimate harm reduction benefit for adult smokers trying to quit, the use of unregulated, addictive nicotine products by youth and young adults is a strong reminder why aggressive, innovative and disruptive public education efforts - like truth - along with FDA regulation - are critical if we hope to end the tobacco epidemic for good.

Speaking of e-cigarettes, this month the Oxford English Dictionary announced that the word "vape" beat out "slacktivism" as the 2014 "word of the year." Rudyard Kipling once said "words are the most powerful drug used by mankind." It's ironic that the choice of this word - vape - describes the act of inhaling nicotine - one of the most addictive drugs known to man. The introduction of "vape" into the collective consciousness and the elevation of the tobacco issue to once again be atop the cultural radar screen, is a reminder that we must use this opportunity to reinforce the fact that the tobacco epidemic is far from over and that while e-cigarettes may prove to be a new tool in our arsenal, we must continue to innovate and activate to end the epidemic that claims 480,000 lives each year and risks the future of 5.6 million kids alive today.

November also provides opportunities to recognize the courage and service of our troops, the importance of smoking cessation with observances like today's Great American Smokeout and Lung Cancer Awareness Month and of course, time spent with family and friends during the Thanksgiving holiday. In the spirit of giving thanks, all of us at Legacy extend our thanks to our partners, stakeholders and friends for your support and encouragement for our lifesaving work.

Happy Thanksgiving from our team to yours!

Robin Koval

CEO and President, Legacy

We're Making Progress From Coast to Coast

This month truth released new advertising spots as part of the national Finish It campaign.The "Progress Reports" which are featured both online and on television, highlight changes that are happening across the country related to tobacco- from small towns to big business.

In September, CVS removed all tobacco products from their shelves, choosing health before wealth. The truth "Progress Report" applauds CVS for this bold choice, while putting pressure on the remaining top 4 national pharmacies to follow their lead.

 

Progress Report: CVS Quits Selling Tobacco

truth also highlights Florida for achieving its lowest youth smoking rates ever! Youth smoking rates have declined from 15.7% in 2005 to 7.5% in 2014. If the state that is known for spring break and partying until 6 a.m. can make such gigantic leaps, what can other states do?

 

Progress Report: Florida Teen Smoking Rate

These "Progress Reports" are the first of many which will demonstrate the significant strides that have already been made around the country in the goal to end smoking.

Continuing to #FinishIt: Entertainment Integrations Expand Upon Anti-Tobacco Message

truth continues to expand Finish It-related conversations with teen and young adults by partnering with several popular television networks  through  a variety of new entertainment integrations that will further empower teens in the fight against tobacco.

INTEGRATIONS INCLUDE:

• Adult Swim: truth and Adult Swim worked together to create a custom promotion that aired within commercial breaks during new episodes of Adult Swim's late-night talk show The Eric Andre Show. The piece featured the same look and feel as the show and showcases Eric Andre taking items from people's hands and mouths, and replacing them with absurd items while claiming that he is erasing and replacing them. Viewers are then directed to thetruth.com where they can get the actual Erase and Replace app aimed at remove tobacco images from the internet.

• VH1: Three spots aired in conjunction with VH1's You Oughta Know Live in Concert. The first featured Aloe Blacc delivering a monologue about how he is Xing his profile on social media to show his support for being the generation that ends smoking and encouraging others to go to thetruth.com to do the same. The second featured a report excited for Aloe Blacc's performance and the fact that he Xed his profile to support the Finish It campaign. The last spot was an interview with Aloe Blacc that aired during the actual concert and drove fans to unlock exclusive content fans can unlock by Xing their profiles.

• Spike:The truth campaign and Spike teamed up to create two documentary-style vignettes.  The spots featured Tattoo Nightmares Miami artist and former contestant of Spike's hit series Ink Master, Clint Cummings, covering up a smoking-related tattoo.  The cover-up subject had quit smoking and wanted his body to be a beautiful artist's work instead of "a walking cigarette ad."  The campaign aired over a five week flight on Spike.

• MTV: truth teamed up with MTV to highjack the promos on the channel, disrupting the viewer experience and drawing attention to the Finish It campaign. The highjack starts with a normal promo for a program airing on the channel, but then after some static and shaking an "X" Finish It logo appears and then cuts to a spot inspired by Finish It; showcasing that teen smoking rates are down to 9% by comparing the number of teen smokers to the number of people that crave very odd snack choices like peas on their pizza. This disruptive and dynamic approach to messaging may also be used for future MTV partnerships in 2015.

Legacy Report Finds High Rates of Tobacco Use Among American Indians

A new report from Legacy and the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan (ITCM) explores tobacco-related health disparities among three different American Indian (AI) tribes. In order to build capacity at the  local level to collect and analyze data, The Legacy Tribal College Health Initiative (TCHI), a community based research project, was established. The research was conducted in collaboration with three tribes, and found evident disparities between AI populations, as well as AI populations and the general American public. American Indians were found to suffer from the highest poverty rates, have the lowest educational achievement, and the highest smoking rates of any U.S. subpopulation. Additionally, the report found:
 

• Extremely high rates of smoking among American Indian adults
• 45.7% of adults from Bemidji Area Health Service Region smoke
• 50% of the tribe from Aberdeen Area Indian Health Service Region smoke
• 60% in the tribe from Billings Area Health Service Region smoke
• Very high rates of smoke among women
• 51% of women in the tribe from Bemidji Area Indian Health service
• 50.8% of women in the tribe from Aberdeen Area Indian Health Service Region
• 69% of women in the tribe from Billings Area Indian Health Service Region smoke

Unfortunately, tobacco control in Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations is historically underfunded and untailored toward AI/AN smokers. Additionally, tribes do not receive state funding to fight tobacco use, and tobacco products sold to AI/AN tribes are taxed at lower rates than elsewhere in the U.S. Tobacco companies have exploited this opportunity to heavily market their products to AI/AN populations, appealing to the unique cultures and images of the tribes.  This study is a showcase to the value of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), which emphasizes "community engagement, mutual learning, action-reflection and a commitment to sustainability" in order to achieve social change and improve health. Because tobacco use is not an equal-opportunity killer, and usually affects the most vulnerable members of our society, Legacy is committed to highlighting and addressing the health disparities among socially disadvantaged groups, such as the AI/AN populations examined in this study.

To read the full report, click here and a press release for the report can be found here. 

Oh the Places We'll Go! Youth Activism Takes to the Road to #FinishIt

Legacy's Youth Activism team has been traveling around the United States to build partnerships and engage young people in truth's life-saving messages. While on the road, the team engages young people in activities designed to empower them to win the battle against tobacco once and for all. 

Early in October, Ritney Castine, Director of Youth Activism, was a featured speaker at the KPHA "Health is Where You Live" conference in Topeka, Kansas, on the importance of youth advocacy. He was also the keynote presenter for the 8th Annual Bismarck Tobacco Prevention Youth Summit in North Dakota, where over 100 teens learned about the dangers of tobacco. At these events teens were encouraged to connect with the broader movement of teen activism in tobacco through activities (t-shirt making, message development, social media outreach) they could take back to their communities to generate awareness among their peers. 

On October 20-22 & 28-30, Youth Activism Manager, Billy Rucker, embarked on an exhibition across the country to rally "Finishers". Billy worked with The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippion their annual Generation FREE leadership conferences. Generation FREE is Mississippi's youth-led movement against Big Tobacco fueled by teens across the state. This year's conferences were held in six cities throughout Mississippi. Billy also conducted a site visit at the leadership conference hosted in Pearl, Mississippi. At the Hattiesburg conference, he led a print media activity with 250+ youth with a Halloween theme, youth dressed in whacky outfits. At the end of the activity each participant received their own personalized flyer to help promote FinishIt.

Finally, at the end of October, Billy Rucker, and Youth Activism Fellow, Vincent Irving, teamed up to empower over 250 youth at Maine's Youth Action Network (MYAN) Leadership Conference. Billy presented on the Power of Media focusing on ways youth can use "small media" to supplement massive media campaigns. Vincent conducted a workshop on grassroots youth activism and participated on a panel that discussed positive youth-adult partnerships.

Collaboration and partnerships are critical to empower and engage youth in the issue of tobacco, and help ensure that this will truly be the generation to #FinishIt!

Quit Together, Win Together: The American Cancer Society Celebrates the Great American Smokeout

Each year, on the third Thursday in November, the American Cancer Society hosts the Great American Smokeout�, an event to encourage and help smokers quit. This year, on November 20th, the Smokeout will remind smokers to quit early and often. By quitting for even one day, smokers take a crucial step to better their health and their lives.

No smoker is alone when it comes to failed quit attempts. Watch these stories of first-hand struggles with tobacco addiction: two smokers chronicle their personal smoking stories, and a former smoker offers insights on how she quit with the help of the BecomeAnEX.org. 

Financial Independence, Tobacco Consumption and Millennials

A Legacy study entitled, "Association between Financial Dependence and Tobacco Use among Young Adults" examines the relationship between financially dependent young adults and their consumption of tobacco. The Millennial Generation has been disproportionately affected by the Great Recession which began in 2007, and many entered higher education or the workforce at the time. Because of financial instability, Millennials are achieving milestones such as moving out of their parents' homes, getting married, and having children at much later ages than previous generations. Therefore, given the high rates of tobacco use and unique financial difficulties of Millennials, it is important to understand how lifestyle changes are associated with tobacco use in order to improve cessation and prevention interventions.

The findings from this study indicate that a relationship exists between financial dependence on parents and tobacco use in young adults. In general, financial dependence increased participants' odds of current tobacco use and decreased odds of previous use when compared to financially independent participants reporting the same income, education, or employment status. These results highlight the need to consider economic status and financial dependence when targeting young adults with tobacco control measures.

Medicare May Cover CT Scans to Screen for Early Treatment of Lung Cancer

Just in time for Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have announced a proposal that would to pay for annual scans for beneficiaries at high risk for lung cancer. This is great news for public health as research shows that a CT scan can reduce lung cancer risk by 20 percent in high risk patients by helping doctors spot small lung tumors while they are still treatable. Lung cancer is the nation's number one cancer killer of both men and women, accounting for about 28 percent of all cancer deaths. Lung cancer kills more Americans than breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer combined. Up to 90 percent of lung cancer cases can be attributed to tobacco use. While the proposal would only cover heavy smokers or former smokers age 55-74, it is a good first step to promoting technology that has the potential to save lives and money. Other former or current smokers who may not smoke the equivalent to a pack a day for 30 years would not qualify, though they would also stand to benefit from this coverage.

In 2013, Legacy wrote comments supporting the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's recommendation for annual CT scans in persons at high risk for lung cancer based on age and smoking history. Further, Legacy, along with the American Lung Association, the Lung Cancer Alliance, and other public health partners urge smokers to get frequent screenings, and to quit early and often. 

Want to Help Us #FinishIt? Use These Toolkits

To find out how you or your organization can help spread the word and "Finish It" with an online toolkit that provides language, materials and information about the campaign. You can access the toolkit here, using the password "Toolkit 2014" for Adult Resources and "Endtobacco2014" for Activist Resources.

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