Summer Vacation is Almost Here!

High schools are holding graduation ceremonies here in Palm Beach County.  Kids still in school are finishing up projects and getting ready to take their end of school tests.  Younger kids in elementary school are holding field days and end of year picnics.   And through it all, parents are telling their children how proud they are of a job well done.  Before your kids run off to have a great summer, sit down with them and discuss summer safety, including the dangers of tobacco.

Cigarettes contain more than just tobacco rolled in paper.  Almost 600 ingredients go into making a single cigarette.  When burned, those ingredients turn into over 7000 chemicals, with at least 250 chemicals know to be harmful, and about 69 that can cause cancer.   Both smokers and nonsmokers breathing in cigarette smoke inhale these toxic, harmful chemicals.

According to the 2012 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey (FYTS), 31.6% of high school students and 13.0% of middle school students had tried smoking a cigarette at least once.   And 3.9% of high school students, and 0.8% of middle school students said they smoked cigarettes on 20 or more of the past 30 days.

different size cigars

One of the latest trends for under-aged kids is to smoke cigars.  Many kids believe that cigars are safer because you technically don’t inhale like cigarettes, and they come in a variety of flavors. But all cigars contain nicotine.  In fact, one large cigar can contain the nicotine equivalent of several cigarettes.  According to the Mayo Clinic, it can also “increase the risk of cancers of the mouth, lip, tongue, throat, esophagus, larynx and lung.”  The cigar smoke also contains the same toxic chemicals as cigarette smoke.   The FYTS states that 8.6% of middle school students and 25.1% of high school students smoked cigars at least once,  and that 0.8% of middle and 2.1% of high school students smoked cigars on 20 or more of the past 30 days.

Another popular form of tobacco is smokeless tobacco.  The kids consider it safer that smoking because you don’t ignite the tobacco and smoke it.  Also known as chew, dip or spit tobacco, the product is put into the mouth between the gum and cheek and the juices are spit out.  Snus, another form of smokeless tobacco, is a small tobacco-filled, tea-bag type pouch that is placed into the mouth and the juices are swallowed.   Smokeless tobacco contains nicotine, no matter the form, and contains at least 28 cancer-causing chemicals.   The FYTS reported 4.3% of middle and 10.8% of high school students had tried using smokeless tobacco at least once.   And 0.8% of middle and 2.4% of high school students used smokeless tobacco on 20 or more of the past 30 days.

While you may not think the percentages of youth tobacco users are high, the legal age to purchase tobacco products is 18 which means the students are getting tobacco illegally from their friends, older siblings, or taking it from their parents.  All forms of tobacco contain nicotine, and there is no safe form of tobacco.  Another thing you need to explain to your kids is that tobacco is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the U.S.   According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, it is “the only legal product sold in the United States that, when used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, is highly addictive and kills a high percentage of its regular users.”

As a parent you cannot just assume your kids know that tobacco is dangerous.  Talk to them early and often about tobacco, and let them know that it is a danger product.   If they know you don’t approve of tobacco use, they are more likely not to use the product.   They are seeking your guidance and want to make you proud.

Happy children leaving school,
Now that summer’s here.
No more early morning hours, teachers, quizzes,
No more state testing fears.

Sleeping in, playing outside late,
Long days in when it pours.
One week after school lets out,
And you’ll hear, “Oh, I’m bored.”

Happy and safe summer to all our teachers, students, staff and parents.

Smoking Affects Life in South Carolina

A website article regarding a new proposal in South Carolina would repeal a 23-year-old law that protects smokers in the workplace.  Currently South Carolina “bans employers from making hiring decisions based on whether a prospective employee smokes.”  But the South Carolina Hospital Association claims increased health costs and lost productivity of $1.9 billion dollars a year, cost the state money.  They want the law repealed which would allow employers to not hire smokers.

According to charts on USA Life Expectancy, South Carolina is ranked 42 out of 51 states (and the District of Columbia) when it comes to life expectancy.   Could smoking have anything to do with this ranking?  The state came in 12th in adult smoking at 23.1%.  This chart gives the U.S. adult smoking rate at 20.1%; the Centers for Disease Control lists the US smoking rate at 19.0%.  The CDC South Carolina state highlights site shows the highest rate of smoking among age groups is the 18-24 year group at 24.7%.  Those adults ranked according to their level of education shows 27.4% of adults with a high school degree are smokers.  Those with less than a high school degree have an even higher rate of smoking at 32.2%.

Smoking “is a leading cause of cancer and death from cancer”, as stated on the National Cancer Institute website, and South Carolina is ranked 14th (out of 51) in the nation when it comes to cancer (USA Life Expectancy).  It is 21st in the nation for chronic lung disease and 6th in the nation for stroke, two more health related causes of smoking.  South Carolina is also ranked 17th for heart disease and 15th when it comes to hypertension. 

According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010, “high blood pressure emerged as the single most important risk factor for death and disability, followed by tobacco smoking.”  These non-communicable diseases in adults are a global problem, not just specific to South Carolina, especially as our smoking population ages.  South Carolina ranks 15th out of 50 on the list for hypertension.

How many smokers actually know that cigarettes contain high amounts of sugar which can increase your chance of getting diabetes?  Or that continued smoking makes it more difficult to manage diabetes once you have the disease?   Smoking and diabetes can cause complications such as vascular problems, nerve damage and foot problems.  South Carolina is ranked 18th in the nation for diabetes.

Smoking “harms nearly ever organ of the body.”  Even those who do not smoke suffer health related illnesses and diseases due to exposure to secondhand smoke, which is classified as a human carcinogen.  Heart disease and lung cancer risks increase in nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke.

South Carolina is a major tobacco producing state, which would explain the attitude towards smoking.  But tobacco is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S.  Banning smoking in public places would be a start to changing smoking behavior.  And although tobacco is a legal product, refusing to hire smokers may be the incentive South Carolina needs to improve the health of their state, especially for future generations.

Click HERE for the original article.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/04/09/2714618/proposal-would-allow-sc-employers.html#storylink=cpy

Raising the Minimum Smoking Age

The headlines yesterday proclaimed that New York City is thinking of raising the age to purchase cigarettes from 18 to 21.  Now Chicago announced it may also raise the minimum age.  Considering most life time smoking has already started by the time the kids turn 18,  raising the legal age could “discourage, or at least delay” the start of this dangerous addiction.  A higher legal age would also help prevent older friends from being able to purchase tobacco for younger acquaintances.

While New York City discusses this new proposal, one Massachusetts town has already raised the legal age to 21.  The town of Needham saw its high school smoking rate drop from 13% to 5.5% since the 21-year-old limit took effect in 2006.  Canton, Massachusetts also plans to make the change to 21 later this month, but with a provision–if smoking rates among high school students don’t decline, the law will be eliminated.

Opponents point to the fact that the measure would hurt convenience stores that rely on tobacco sales which make up to 40% of their revenues.  It would also hurt state revenues which count on cigarette sales tax.  Good news is that it would further discourage the younger generation from starting a deadly habit.  Over time it would also reduce costs from lost productivity due to smoking.  It will also reduce health care costs in the future if fewer people have smoking related illnesses.

According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the addiction rate for smoking is higher than the addiction rates for marijuana, alcohol or cocaine.  And the peak years for trying that first cigarette is between 11-13.  Those who become addicted do so before even leaving high school.  Of those who become adult smokers, 80% begin by 18 and 90% by the time they hit 20.  Along with addiction to tobacco, smoking “accelerates the development of chronic diseases,” many of which present themselves long after the initial onset of smoking in the teen years.

Here in the U.S. you must be 21 before purchasing and consuming alcohol, and under-aged consumers are given fines.  Why should tobacco, a product that causes more deaths each year than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined, be any different?  If we consider tobacco use among our young people a serious problem, then we have to be serious in our efforts to do something about the problem.  Raising the minimum smoking age is a good first step.

For more information on NYC and Chicago proposals, click on the city.

 

Earth Day 2013

Earth Day was born 43 years ago in the U.S. to bring attention to the damaging effect pollution was having on our environment.  Much has happened since 1970 to clean up our environment in the U.S. and around the world, but the tobacco industry is still polluting on a global scale.  That smoked cigarette casually tossed onto the ground is a major contributor of pollution from before the tobacco was planted to its discarded butt.

In many developing countries, land is cleared of trees to make way for agriculture.  But instead of planting food to feed their families or to sell in markets to feed others, farmers plant tobacco.  While their crop may provide money in their pockets, it is not a sustainable form of farming.  Once picked, the tobacco leaves need to be cured and many of the farmers use wood to dry or cure the leaves.  “One hectare of forest is needed to dry every hectare of tobacco.”  (1 hectare = 2.471 acres).   Approximately five million hectares or 600 million trees are destroyed for this process worldwide.  These figures do not include the trees cut down to produce the paper used in the cigarette, the packaging or any advertising.  In less developed countries using wood to dry tobacco means less wood for cooking and heating.

Although tobacco plants produce a natural insect repellent in the form of nicotine, farms apply pesticides, herbicides to kill weeds, and fertilizers to help the plant grow.   These chemicals are used in high concentrations and contaminate the water through runoff into streams and rivers.  (The chemicals used in the U.S. are not necessarily used on tobacco in other countries.)

Once tobacco is harvested and dried, it is sold to manufacturers that make it into tobacco products such as the paper tube commonly known as a cigarette.  One end of the tube contains a filter, the most littered part of the cigarette.  In fact “as many as 5.6 trillion cigarettes…are deposited into the environment worldwide every year.”

The tobacco industry would like smokers to think that these filers break down, or biodegrade over a few years, but that is not the case.  They also “fear being held responsible for cigarette litter,” and so they should.  This littered waste is costing American municipalities millions of dollars in cleanup efforts every year.  San Francisco, California estimates it costs the city $7.4 million each year, and imposed a “waste fee” of $0.20 per pack to cigarettes sold in the city.  Not only is the butt waste unattractive, the toxins in the filters leach out and kill fish and other wildlife that mistake them for food.

Land is deforested, creating erosion and decreased oxygen levels.  Chemicals are added to the soil resulting in toxic runoff and clean water contamination.  The end product produces toxins and litter resulting in millions of dollars in clean up, not to mean the toxins in the pollution that takes place when the product is smoked.  All this for a product that provide no nutritional value and shortens your lifespan.   So what part of a cigarette is friendly?

Life Expectancy in the Top 10 Smoking States

Last week we shared Florida health data from the site WorldLifeExpectancy.com in four categories associated with smoking: heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, and stroke.   We then obtained information by county from the 2012 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey as to the percentage of high school students reporting smoking in the home and added this information in the chart.  From the data it appeared that counties with higher death rates in the four health categories also had higher incidences of smoking in the home.   Would the U.S. states with highest smoking rates also have higher death rates in the four health categories associated with smoking?

According to the Life Expectancy site, the top 10 states with the highest smoking rates in order are: Kentucky, West Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Alabama.  These 10  states also appear to have higher rates of death in the four health categories related to smoking.   Five of the top 10 states (with a * by their name) also received failing grades in all four categories of the American Lung  Association’s 2012 State of the Air:  Tobacco Prevention, Smokefree Air, Cigarette Tax, and Cessation.  Due to space, grades were provided for the two categories we were interested in:  tobacco prevention and cessation.  The results can be viewed at the end of the story.

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States.  These numbers show that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in our country to change the current mindset of tobacco use.   The best way to protect our future generations from ever starting a deadly addiction is by teaching them about the dangers of tobacco while they are still young.

The Florida Statewide Tobacco Prevention course does just that.  This 24/7 online course allows Florida educators to gain the knowledge to teach six (6) tobacco prevention lessons to their students.  After completion of course requirements, educators can earn 60 in-service credits at no cost to them.  Educators have until May 5, 2013 to register for this school year.  Teaching students about the dangers of tobacco is paramount to ending the tobacco epidemic among our youth.

Imagine the Possibility

Imagine the possibility that children born in or after a certain year, such as the year 2000, would have their supply of tobacco restricted.  It may not just be a dream.  Researchers in Singapore conducted a survey and indicated there is strong support for the proposal, even among smokers.

Although the overall adult smoking rate in Singapore has dropped, smoking among the 18-29 year old age group is the highest, and increased almost 5% between 2004 and 2007.  But the worldwide smoking problem begins with a much younger group, those in the 12-18 year old category.  A three-part approach to the problem of smoking is:  to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke; to help older smokers quit; and, to protect the young from beginning smoking.

Many countries already have laws in place to protect the public from secondhand smoke in workplaces and in public areas.  It is surprising, though, that after knowing the adverse health affect that secondhand smoke has on the body, cities around the world still fight against clean air laws for their people.  Quit smoking campaigns and cessation programs are gaining in popularity throughout the world in helping older adults kick tobacco.  The final step is to remove the tobacco supply from youth by removing it from their lives.  Period.

Proposing a ban on tobacco to those born after a specific year has benefits.   First, there is no longer a “minimum age” to beginning smoking, and the rite of passage of smoking when you are an adult is removed.   Second, the tobacco industry has maintained for decades that they do not conspire to sell to young children, therefore, this proposal would remove tobacco from young children since they can not legally purchase tobacco even when they turn 18.  Adults who are already past the legal age when the ban takes place would not have a disruption of their tobacco, and the tobacco industry would still have customers, although they would gradually die off.

The decline in tobacco use would also be gradual, allowing for the tobacco companies to make changes to their long-term goals.  Since the sale of tobacco would drop off over time, it gives current tobacco farmers a chance to change out their crops for a more profitable crop that is less damaging to the environment.

While some would claim the government would be taking away the right of an adult to smoke, the majority of daily smokers, 88%, started by the time they were 18, before they were legal age to make this adult decision.  Placing a total smoking ban would provide “future health benefits and savings in heath care costs” for our future generations.

Click here to read more about this proposal

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Every once in a while you run across a site that sort of grabs your attention and keeps you drilling down for more answers. Today that site was the USA version of Life Expectancy which comes from the CDC between 2003-2010.  A U.S. map is shown detailing the low and high range of several life expectancy monitors by state and counties within each state.  Cause of death from diseases such as heart, lung, kidney and cancer, as well as life events such as accidents and homicide are included.  By clicking on your state you can see the range, from low to high in each county for each category listed along the bottom of the map.  Choose a cause of death in the left column and choose your state at the top of the left column, and a chart giving the total deaths by age and gender is given.   Click on the cause of death under the county data charts in the left column, and the data is presented for your state by county from highest to lowest for each of the 15 life events.

After looking at the data we thought it would be interesting to see how each Florida county compared with four diseases associated with tobacco: heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease and stroke.   After compiling the numbers, they were added up to get a “score.”  The lower the overall score, the more “unhealthy” the county.  Scores ranged from 7 to 268, with 7 being the worse.  Since the CDC results do not list tobacco as a cause of death, we wondered if higher tobacco use in the home would correlate to the lower overall health scores for each county.  Using data from the *2012 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, we looked at information from the high school surveys to find if smoking was allowed in the home.  This information was included, but the scores were not added to the overall score we gave to each county.

What we found was that some of the counties with lower scores in the four categories, heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease and stroke, appeared to have a higher percentage of smoking in the home.  For example, Union County, which ranked third in the state for chronic lung disease, second in the state for heart disease, and first in the state for cancer and stroke, also had one of the highest percentages for smoking allowed in the home at 24% as reported by high school students.  Collier County, which ranked last in all four categories, also had a lower percentage of smoking allowed in the home at 7.7%.

We then wanted to see the percentage of participation of educators in our tobacco prevention course in the Florida counties.   Gulf, the county with the highest percentage of smoking allowed in the house at 35.5%, had no one from their county using our course to teach tobacco prevention in the schools.   It’s not to say that someone within the district isn’t teaching tobacco prevention to the students, just that no one is using our course.

Tobacco use is a pediatric epidemic throughout the world, according the the U.S. Surgeon General.   It is a highly addictive substance with “substantial health risks” to the heart and lungs that begin almost immediately to young smokers. To change young people’s attitudes about tobacco, you have to first teach them that tobacco is not the norm.  It is up to us to protect our youth from a lifetime of health consequences.

The Florida Statewide Tobacco Prevention course has been developed for educators to teach tobacco prevention lessons to their students..  This online course is self-paced and available 24/7 at no cost to you.  After completion the the requirements, educators can receive up to 60 in-service credits towards recertification.

Notes:  The Life Expectancy report is for years 2003-2010, while the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey is for 2012.  Also, data for Osceola County smoking in the home is from 2010 as no 2012 data was given.

Data Sheet

Educating Our Kids About Tobacco

The number of smoking related deaths should be the number one headline every day considering over 1,200 die.  And for each person who dies due to smoking, “at least two youth or young adults become regular smokers.”  Yet many are not aware of the high numbers.  The Centers for Disease Control states tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States.  Over 443,000 people will die prematurely each year and sadly the majority of those smokers started in their teen years.  In the U.S. nearly 4,000 kids under the age of 18 will try their first cigarette today, and many will go on to become regular smokers.

One of the ways tobacco use by students in Florida is monitored is through the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey (FYTS).  Last year the survey was conducted in 746 Florida public schools with 38,989 middle school (with a 77% overall response rate) and 36,439 high school students (with a 73% overall response rate) participating.   One part of the survey asked students if they had ever tried cigarettes at least once, if they had smoked a cigarette at least once during the past 30 days, and if they had smoked cigarettes on 20 or more of the past 30 days.

In answer to the first question, 13.0% or about 3,902 middle high students and 31.6% or about 8,405 high school students reported they had tried smoking a cigarette at least once.  The numbers dropped to 3.3% or about 990 middle school students, and 10.1% or about 2,686 high school students responding they had smoked at least once during the past 30 days.  It is the third group, those who smoked cigarettes on 20 or more of the past 30 days, that should have people really concerned;  0.8% or about 240 middle school students and 3.9% or about 1.037 high school students reported they were in this category.  The numbers may be lower than the other two groups, but these students are smoking more cigarettes more often, at least a pack a month.   While that may not seem substantial, according to the 2012 Surgeon General Report, “cigarette smoking by youth and young adults has immediate adverse health consequences, including addiction, and accelerates the development of chronic diseases across the full life course.”

That’s where we come in.  The Florida Statewide Tobacco Prevention course wants to educate teachers and guidance counselors so they in turn can educate their students about the dangers of tobacco use and how to resist the pressures of marketing and their peers.  Educators can take our course at no cost to them and receive 60 in-service credits towards recertification.  We even provide technical support to help with problems as well as lesson plans for each level.  The course is available 24/7 and is self-paced.  You still have until May 6, 2013 to register for this years course.

Too many of our kids start using tobacco before they are even legal age to purchase it.  We need to educate them about tobacco facts before the tobacco industry influences them with marketing.

Read more about “Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth & Young Adults,” Surgeon General Report 2012.

A Not So Funny April Fools Day Joke

It’s official.  Effective immediately, the tobacco industry is pulling every single cigarette off the shelf until they can make a cigarette that poses no health risks for the American public. You heard it right here.  Ok, so it’s not such a funny April Fool’s joke.  Until the tobacco industry is held responsible for the lies they have told for decades, here are some facts to ponder:

- Nearly all tobacco use begins in childhood and teen years.
- Each day in the U.S. more than 3,800 kids under 18 smoke their first cigarette.
- In Florida, 21,300 kids under 18 become new daily smokers each year.
- 24.3 million packs of cigarettes are bought or smoked by kids in Florida each year.
- 369,000 kids now under 18 and alive in Florida who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking.
- The tobacco industry spends $8.5 billion for marketing expenditures nationwide.
- It is estimated that $516.7 million is spent in Florida for tobacco marketing each year.
- “More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined,” according to the Centers for Disease Control.  

According to Wikipedia, the “purchase and smoking of tobacco by a person under the age of 18 is illegal” in 46 of the 50 states.  Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah have raised their legal age to 19, as have several counties in the state of New York.   If this is the case, why is nothing done about minors in possession of tobacco, or to those who continue to supply these children with a deadly, addictive product?  We have laws in place for minors and alcohol and they are enforced.   If it is important enough to end the tobacco cycle in the next generation, then it is important enough to start enforcing the laws now.

 

Florida youth tobacco facts by  Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
Other facts obtained by the CDC and the report by the Surgeon General of the U.S. “Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth & Young Adults.”

Kick Butts Day 2013

Eighteen years ago the first Kick Butts Day was organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.  Today, more than 1,000 events are held by students in their schools and communities to speak up against Big Tobacco.   These student activists are working to raise awareness of tobacco use and deceptive marketing practices by the tobacco industry,  to encourage their peers to stay tobacco-free and to “urge elected officials to take action to protect kids from tobacco.”  Although this Wednesday, March 20, is devoted to this fight,  everyday is a good day to get the message out against tobacco.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids website has a wealth of information to help students plan Kick Butts Day, including activities to do, and how and why to contact the media in their area to promote their activity.  The site also explains how to share pictures.  They also supply information on how students can apply for mini-grants through the Campaign’s partnership with the United Health Foundation.

Last year members of the Palm Beach County Health Department and the Tobacco Partnership of Palm Beach joined Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL.  Students arranged 88 shoes (one for each Flordian who died from tobacco use each day), displayed posters and handed out information to the baseball fans prior to watching the World Series winning St. Louis Cardinals.  Roger Dean Stadium helped get the tobacco message across by displaying the Kick Butts Day logo banner on the field and on the video display board each time a player’s stats were shown.  The crowd went wild!  Of course it could have been because a raccoon was running loose under the bleachers, but the Kick Butts Day message was pretty exciting.

On Wednesday. March 20, Roger Dean Stadium will once again host a Kick Butts Day and members of SWAT will be out in force taking flavored tobacco surveys and getting the tobacco message to baseball fans before watching the Miami Marlins host the Washington Nationals.  Hopefully, the raccoon will stay home.

The phrase “Kick Butts Day”, the above logo, and its derivatives, are trademarks of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
Click here for more information on Kick Butts Day.