Tobacco Use Prevention and Control

Community Health Status Indicators | Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity | Tobacco Use Prevention and Control | Oral Health

One of the greatest public health accomplishments has been the decrease in tobacco use; however, it remains the leading cause of death in the United States. Implementing a combination of policy changes including clean indoor air laws, higher tobacco taxes, and cessation efforts have been proven to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.

Board members are responsible for assuring the local public health agency has the capacity to engage in various tobacco use prevention and control activities and make resources available to their community. NALBOH encourages boards to collaborate with local health agencies, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and local or state tobacco control coalitions in order to support policy changes.

Many resources are available to assist board of health members in learning about their roles in tobacco control. These resources introduce board members to their roles and responsibilities in assessing their community’s tobacco use policies and effectively minimize and prevent the health hazards caused by tobacco use and secondhand smoke.

New! Community Health SPOTLIGHT for October

Healthy Lung Month

Everyday people breathe approximately 25,000 times with very little thought of air quality. However, air can be highly contaminated with bacteria, viruses, automobile exhaust, and tobacco by-products. Harmful air pollutants can cause a variety of medical problems including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and lung cancer. In order to promote healthy lungs, boards of health can do the following:

Implement smokefree ordinances in public places
Advocate for bars, restaurants, and workplaces to become smokefree
Join the American Lung Association's Smokefree Air 2010 Challenge
Encourage smokers to participate in the Freedom From Smoking program

Did You Know...

In August 2008, the National Cancer Institute released its 19th Monograph entitled, The Role of the Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use. The report details tobacco and media relations from a multilevel perspective. Major conclusions from the monograph include:

Media communications do play an important role in molding tobacco knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among all individuals in a community.
Cigarettes are one of the morst highly marketed products in the United States.
Three themes (satisfaction, desirable outcomes, and level of customer anxiety) lead tobacco companies to create specific advertisements.
There is a causal relationship between tobacco advertising/promotion and increased tobacco use.
Tobacco use in movies does increase youth smoking initiation.
Mass media campaigns aimed at discouraging youth tobacco use do curb smoking initiation.

For more information or to order a free copy of the monograph, please click here.

The American Lung Association recently released its 2008 SLATI (State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues) Mid-Term Report which provided detailed information on statewide smoking bans, tobacco taxes, tobacco control funding, and cessation coverage. Some highlights from this report include:

Twenty-three states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have met the Smokefree Air 2010 Challenge.
New York, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia have passed increased tobacco taxes in 2008.
Ohio cut their statewide tobacco control program.
Several states have passed legislation requiring Medicaid to cover smoking cessation programs.

For more information and to read the complete report, please click here.

Local Successes

Congratulations to the following cities and counties that have either passed or implemented comprehensive smoking bans between June and August 2008!

Lafayette, IN	McKinney, TX	Richardson, TX
Lexington, SC	Portland, ME	Wichita, KS

In the News

New! Smokefree Homes Change Smoking Behaviors Among Adults and Adolescents

New! Tobacco Companies Find Ways to Place Outdoor Smoking Ads Despite Agreement

New! Fewer College Students Smoking Than Ever Before

Michael Bloomberg and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Team Up To Fight Global Tobacco Use

Each Cigarette Smoked by a Woman Increases Risk of Stroke

Mark Your Calendars!

October 13-14, 2008: Kansas Tobacco Control Summit: Creating a Tobacco-Free Future. www.tobaccofreekansas.org

November 18-19, 2008: Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Control Conference. www.smokefreewi.org/conference08

March 8-12, 2009: 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Mumbai, India. www.14wctoh.org

May 30, 2009: "Tobacco Free Nebraska" Conference. www.dhhs.ne.gov/tfn

June 10-12, 2009: National Conference on Smoking and Health in Phoenix, AZ. www.tobaccocontrolconference.org/2009

Requests for Awards and Proposals

2009 National Conference on Smoking and Health - Call for abstracts opens in September, 2008.

Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium Invites Organizations to Post Events on New Calendar

Tobacco Control Organizations and Partners

NALBOH works closely with the Action on Smoking and Health, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Legacy Foundation, Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National African-American Tobacco Prevention Network, National Association of County and City Health Officials, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, National Network on Tobacco Prevention and Poverty, Office on Smoking and Health, Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, Tobacco Control Network, Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, Tobacco.org (listserve), US Environmental Protection Agency, and the World Health Organization.

We thank our partners for their support!