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February 2004 |
Forty years after smoking linked with cancer, Hoosiers continue to stop tobacco use
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Visit www.WhiteLies.tv to find out more. Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, July 2001. |
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study of over 3,000 Xerox employees found that smoking is one of the most costly
individual health risks. Worker's compensation costs for a smoker averaged
$2,189 compared to only $176 for a non-smoker.INDIANAPOLIS -- January 11 marked the 40th anniversary of "Smoking and Health," a comprehensive report on cigarette smoking that for the first time officially linked tobacco use with cancer and other deadly diseases. When the report was issued in 1964, people knew very little about the dangers of smoking. The event served as a warning that initiated a public health movement still facing an uphill climb.
According to the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation, progress has been made in reducing cigarette smoking nationally, but significant work is left to be done. It is estimated that 28 people die from premature, smoking-related deaths in Indiana every day, and Hoosiers pay $1.6 billion in healthcare costs each year to treat smoking-related illnesses.
Even though Indiana continues to have the fifth highest smoking rate in the nation, important accomplishments have been made since state officials signed the Master Tobacco Settlement in 1998. Funds from the settlement were used to create and now fund the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation (ITPC) a state agency that coordinates a statewide comprehensive tobacco control program.
According to ITPC, accomplishments over 40 years in Indiana include:
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The largest drop in youth smoking experience in recent years. The cigarette-smoking rate among Indiana high school students dropped from 32 percent in 2000 to 23 percent in 2002.
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The overall consumption of cigarettes in Indiana has declined considerably. The number of cigarettes sold decreased by 17 percent in 2003 which means that Hoosier smokers are smoking less -- a significant step toward quitting.
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The number of retailers selling cigarettes to minors is the lowest ever recorded. The Alcohol and Tobacco Commission reports that the number of sales to minors dropped to 14 percent compared to 29 percent when the ITPC program began in 2001.
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Hoosiers want to quit smoking. Approximately 86 percent of Hoosier adults who smoke say they expect to quit smoking and 62 percent say they will quit smoking in the next six months.
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Cessation services and resources are promoted and available through a network of locally funded grants that cover all 92 counties.
"Public education about the deadly effects of smoking has certainly grown in the four decades since the release of the 1964 report," said Bain J. Farris, Chairperson of the ITPC executive board. "Our ongoing investment in tobacco control is already paying off but we have a difficult task ahead to counter the billions of dollars the tobacco companies are spending each year to promote their products to Hoosiers."
ITPC says the tobacco companies continue to promote their products with multi-billion-dollar budgets. According to reports, in 1964, the tobacco industry spent $261.3 million ($1.5 billion in 2001 dollars) on cigarette advertising. By 2001, the marketing expenditures for tobacco products increased by more than 600 percent to $11.2 billion.
National tobacco control movement rooted in Indiana
Former Surgeon General Leroy E. Burney was born in 1906 in Burney, Ind., a town founded by his great-grandfather. A medical education that included degrees from both Butler University and Indiana University led him to a career in public health that poised him to become United States Surgeon General in 1956. On July 12, 1957, Burney issued a statement that made him the first Federal official to publicly identify the dangers of smoking.
In his report, he concluded: "The weight of the evidence is increasingly pointing in one direction; that excessive smoking is one of the causative factors in lung cancer."
The statement opened the door to additional research that led to the first official report from the Surgeon General on the effects of tobacco use. Burney's successor, Luther Terry, released "Smoking and Health" in January 1964. The full text of the report can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_1964/sgr64.htm Thirty-two additional reports on tobacco and health have been issued by the office of the U.S. Surgeon General in the 40 years since the landmark 1964 report.
Leroy Burney died in 1998, but his pioneering spirit has inspired thousands of Hoosiers, including Stephen Jay, MD, to continue the effort to save lives and save money. Jay, who serves as chair of the ITPC Evaluation Committee and chair of the Indiana University Department of Public Health, is preparing a historical article on Burney's impact that will be published later this year by the Indiana Historical Society.
"Dr. Burney was the first person to lead the charge on this issue." Jay said. "We now know that 87 percent of lung cancer is caused by smoking and that secondhand smoke also causes lung cancer."
New leaders fight against big tobacco
A new generation of leaders in the fight against big tobacco is emerging from Indiana schools. ITPC oversees Voice, a statewide movement that empowers youth on tobacco issues -- particularly exposing the tobacco companies and their tactics to target teens.
"The tobacco industry is targeting us with their products," said Cedric Craig of Terre Haute, a youth advisory board member of Voice. "It's a huge fight, but we have to stand up against the billions of dollars the tobacco companies spend to lie to teens about smoking."
Enthusiastic teens continue to join the Voice movement with peers in their communities, and statewide groups unite via the web at www.voice.tv. Keeping Voice prominent in the eyes of teens remains a key component in Indiana as the movement is working to shape the public policy of tomorrow and mold the leaders who will implement the changes.
Structure in place to help Indiana succeed
ITPC operates and supports a comprehensive statewide plan to prevent youth from starting to smoke and help adults quit. Much of the success happens at the local level as dozens of community and minority based coalitions operate programs with ITPC funds that cover all 92 Indiana counties. Additional segments of the comprehensive program include a statewide advertising and media campaign, law enforcement regarding youth access to tobacco and statewide youth activities.
"We know that people at the local level can provide solutions that will help their neighbors quit smoking and prevent them from starting," said ITPC Executive Director Karla Sneegas. "We've focused on sending dollars to community programs that can directly impact people's struggle with tobacco addiction and educate them on tobacco's toll on Hoosier health."
Indiana follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs recommendations by supporting community programs to reduce tobacco use. Effective community programs involve people in their homes, work sites, schools, places of worship and entertainment, civic organizations and other public places. Evaluation data show that funding local programs produces measurable progress toward changing tobacco control policies.
Tobacco control programs save lives and money
The percentage of Hoosier smokers was below the national average at 26 percent in 1985, but over the past twenty years, the adult smoking rate in Indiana has not changed -- it was measured at 27 percent in 2002, according to ITPC.
"Reducing tobacco use is an important step toward improving the health of Hoosier workers and reducing escalating healthcare costs," said Indiana Governor Joe Kernan. "I encourage employers throughout the state of Indiana to adopt similar programs to help their employees and help their businesses."
As Governor, Kernan serves as chief executive for Indiana's second-largest employer and oversees a health plan that covers more than 80,000 state workers.
The ITPC Executive Board was created to oversee funding from Indiana's share of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement from the tobacco companies. The Board oversees the entire comprehensive program, which includes media components, special youth features, enforcement, cessation initiatives and community programs in every county in Indiana.
Learn more about ITPC's efforts at www.WhiteLies.tv or its youth movement at www.voice.tv.
Editor's note: Join the campaign to restore ITPC funds to combat smoking in Indiana by adopting the Indiana Faith and Health Coalition's Resolution. It's available online at www.inareaumc.org or call 317-924-1321 and we will fax you a copy.
Last updated on 04/19/2004