TSET Board renews funds for the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

The TSET Board of Directors has approved a 3-year grant for up to $1.2 million to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) to continue work to reduce tobacco use and improve health among the Oklahomans they serve. TSET and ODMHSAS have partnered since 2009 to make changes within the state’s mental health system to promote tobacco-free substance abuse treatment programs and incorporate overall health and wellness for consumers and staff at behavioral health facilities. Oklahoma is one of a handful of states that has smoking-cessation and tobacco-free policies at all of its mental health treatment facilities. People diagnosed with a serious mental illness have an increased risk of chronic medical conditions and die an average of 25 years earlier than others, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Rates of smoking are up to four times higher among people with a mental health or substance abuse disorder. Research also shows that people with a substance abuse disorder are more successful in recovering when they stop using tobacco.

Two school districts honored for efforts to promote health

Lomega and Okarche Public Schools were honored recently for implementing health-promoting policies and encouraging students, faculty and staff to eat better, move more and be tobacco-free as part of the TSET Healthy Schools Incentive Grant program. Both districts plan to use their grant funds for walking tracks that will be open to community members for physical activity outside of the school day.    Pictured above:  Healthy Schools Incentive Grant Program Manager Sharon Howard; TSET Executive Director John Woods; Retired School Nurse/Grant Writer Roberta Seaton; Lomega Superintendent Steve Shiever; TSET Healthy Living Program serving Blaine and Kingfisher counties Assistant Coordinator Seasha Shroeder

TSET-funded grants and researchers represented at the annual Society of Research on Nicotine and Tobacco meeting

Representatives from TSET-funded grants and researchers attended the Society of Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Annual Meeting in Baltimore in March. In total, 23 posters from TSET-funded grants and researchers were presented at the national conference that disseminates new research on nicotine.

Researchers from the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center (OTRC) at the Stephenson Cancer Center participated in a pre-conference workshop on smartphone-based assessments and interventions for smoking cessation, delivered three oral presentations, and presented 22 posters. Three researchers were also awarded scholarships to attend and present on health disparities related research.

Topics of the presentations ranged from the court-ordered corrective statements to tobacco regulatory science to tobacco cessation interventions in vulnerable and underserved populations. Three researchers from the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center were also awarded scholarships to attend and present their research at the Society of Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.

Heath Hayes (pictured below), director of peer programming and integration at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse also presented a poster at SRNT on the outcomes of a TSET grant to increase referrals to the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline from behavioral health facilities. 

See a full list of OTRC presentations by clicking here. 

Oklahoma study shows health care providers, social media useful in educating on dangers of tobacco

Health care providers are among the most trusted sources for information about the benefits of quitting tobacco, and social media messages can be a cost-effective tool – especially when targeting a low-income population, according to a recent article published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Public Health and Surveillance.

The article analyzed evaluations from Tobacco Stops With Me media campaigns, and asked respondents to rate how much they trusted sources of information. Respondents had the most trust in health care providers – especially those they interact with –  following by friends and family and health insurers.

Respondents were more likely to trust health providers and other sources they have a relationship with. The survey also examined levels of trust in information from media sources like the internet, television, radio and social media.

The study found that e-cigarette users were less likely to trust radio and smokeless users were more likely to trust radio. Nearly 40 percent of respondents reported use of social media for tobacco-related health information, and trust in social media increased as income decreased.

Click here to read the full article. 

This Mother’s Day, Celebrate a Tobacco-Free Live with the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline

This coming Mother’s Day, May 13, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline wishes Oklahoma mothers and their families a happy, healthy and tobacco-free life. Roughly 1 in 5 Oklahoma women smoke, and smoking among women remains a serious issue. Female smokers put themselves at a high risk for developing smoking-related diseases such as infertility, lung cancer, stroke, COPD, heart disease and diabetes. Smoking during pregnancy can cause a baby to be born too early or to have low birth weight – making it more likely the baby will be sick or have to stay in the hospital longer. This Mother’s Day, consider giving the gift of a healthier life to your family by thinking about quitting. Call 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit OKhelpline.com to explore all of the free services and resources available to Oklahomans, including additional free services for moms-to-be. Connect with the Helpline through social media by liking the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline on Facebook or following @OKhelpline on Twitter and Instagram.