NOVEMBER 2015
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The
Great American Smokeout – Partners & programs help Alaskans quit tobacco,
e-cigarette use
Many Alaska smokers — nearly
70 percent of them — say they want to quit.[1]
The American Cancer Society’s
Great
American Smokeout takes place Thursday, Nov. 19. Now in its 39th
year, the Smokeout presents tobacco users with a potentially life-changing day
to choose to quit using cigarettes, other tobacco products and e-cigarettes.
While the Smokeout is celebrated on only one day, many of those who quit for
that day will stay quit.
Alaskans are starting to use tobacco and
e-cigarettes at a young age. A 2015 statewide survey of almost 1,500 Alaska
high school students revealed that about one out of three teenagers currently
smokes cigarettes or cigars, or uses smokeless tobacco or e-cigarettes.
After
years of seeing declines in tobacco use
among Alaska teens, progress has stalled. The 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey
showed that 11 percent of Alaska high school students are current smokers—the
same percentage reported in 2013. That’s concerning because tobacco products remain
the nation’s No. 1 cause of preventable death. Tobacco use kills more than
480,000 Americans and nearly 600 Alaskans each year from direct use and
exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke.[1]
Commissioner Valerie Davidson
of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services discussed the new data
about Alaska teen smoking and e-cigarette use at the Alaska School Health and Wellness Institute
last week in Anchorage. Representatives from partner organizations all over
Alaska attended, including the American
Lung Association of Alaska and community organizations committed to
reducing tobacco and e-cigarette use in their cities and villages. The Commissioner announced that more Alaska
teens are using e-cigarettes than smoking cigarettes; on the 2015 survey, 18%
of teens said they used e-cigarettes during the past month, while 11% of teens
said they smoked cigarettes during the past month.
“These numbers are alarming,”
said Commissioner Davidson in a media release. “We were making progress, but
when a third of our high school students now report using tobacco or
e-cigarettes, we need to increase our partnerships with schools and local
leaders. We need to make sure that Alaskans of all ages know the health risks
of using tobacco products and e-cigarettes.”
Years of public education by
the Alaska
Tobacco Prevention and Control Program have increased knowledge about the
harmful effects of tobacco use, including lung cancer and other respiratory
problems. E-cigarettes are relatively new on the market, so the long-term
health effects are not known. E-cigarettes are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which
makes it difficult to know what ingredients they contain. A growing number of
studies show that the aerosol or “cloud” that comes from e-cigarettes has at
least 9 chemicals that are known to be toxins or carcinogens, including
nicotine, formaldehyde, lead and acetone.[2] Studies are being
released indicating the potential for e-cigarettes to get young users addicted
to nicotine, resulting in increased use of tobacco and conventional cigarettes.
Quitting tobacco and e-cigarette use can be
difficult, but the chances of success increase considerably with help. Alaskans
have access to the free Alaska Tobacco Quit
Line, at 1-800 QUIT NOW, which provides personal coaching support and FDA-approved
nicotine replacement therapy. Quit
Line coaches are specially trained for nicotine addiction counseling and can
provide tips to help tobacco users eliminate tobacco and nicotine from their
lives.
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Text2Quit gives people
who are quitting tobacco use the opportunity to work with a quit coach
through their mobile phone. Text2Quit features a series of interactive
text messages — including tips on coping skills, games, quizzes, and
motivational and educational reminders — that are personalized to a person's
quit plan.
-
Web Coach is an online program with an extensive array of
support tools, including connecting online with a Quit Coach or with other
tobacco users who are looking to quit; engaging with other participants through
forums, blogs, profile pages and articles; and using Quit Tracker to chart
progress and see how much money has been saved since quitting tobacco.
References:
- Alaska
Tobacco Facts 2015
- Alaska Department of
Health and Social Services. E-cigarettes:
a review of the literature. Anchorage, AK, Section of
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Public Health, Alaska Department
of Health and Social Services, January 2015.
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