Tobacco.org

New Report: Investment in Disease Prevention Could Save America More than $16 Billion in Five Years 

A small strategic investment in disease prevention could result in significant savings in U.S. health care costs, according to a new report released today by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH). In its report, entitled Prevention for a Healthier America: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities, TFAH finds that an investment of $10 per person per year in proven community-based programs to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking and other tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion annually within five years. This is a return of $5.60 for every $1.

"Health care costs are crippling the U.S. economy. Keeping Americans healthier is one of the most important, but overlooked ways we could reduce these costs," said Jeff Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH. "This study shows that with a strategic investment in effective, evidence-based disease prevention programs, we could see tremendous returns in less than five years -- sparing millions of people from serious diseases and saving billions of dollars."

Out of the $16 billion, Medicare could save more than $5 billion

Jump to full article »

AMA Applauds U.S. House for Acting to Protect Americans From the Dangers of Tobacco 

"Today, the U.S. House of Representatives took a critical step to combat smoking-related diseases by passing the 'Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act' and giving the FDA needed regulatory authority over tobacco products. We hope members of the U.S. Senate will truly consider the countless lives that could be saved when they cast their votes on this important issue.

"Given what we know about the dangers of smoking, it is astonishing that tobacco products are one of the least regulated products in our society. Congressional action to provide the FDA with strong and effective regulatory authority over tobacco products is long overdue. The bill will stop illegal sales of tobacco products to children, further restrict marketing, especially to kids, and require more informative health warnings on each package.

Jump to full article »

Healthy Interactions and the American Thoracic Society Establish Five-Year Partnership to Improve Patient Education in Respiratory Disease and Smoking Cessation 

Healthy Interactions, a global leader in health education, and the American Thoracic Society, the world's leading professional society for respiratory health, today announced the beginning of a five-year U.S. partnership that will drive the development and distribution of educational programs designed to help patients better manage respiratory disease and overcome tobacco addiction. The agreement represents the first application of Healthy Interactions innovative, patient-centric Conversation Map learning methodology, which has been widely used in the diabetes area, in the arena of respiratory health.

The Conversation Map approach uses the power of small group dialogue and collaborative learning to improve health. Through this method, individuals learn about a disease, recognize how their beliefs or attitudes affect their perception of the disease, and discover ways they can change behavior and improve their management of the disease. Healthy Interactions Conversation Map tools have been widely used in North America since 2005, dramatically improving healthcare professionals' ability to engage patients and support behavior change.

With more than 34 million people in the U.S. who suffer from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)(1) and 43 million smokers(2), respiratory disease represents a leading cause of premature death and a significant drain on American healthcare resources. Healthy Interactions and the American Thoracic Society are partnering to develop new and powerful educational tools to address the needs of those who suffer from asthma and COPD as well as to help people quit smoking.

Jump to full article »

American Lung Association Offers Olympic Spectators Tips to Stay Healthy in Beijing 

Air pollution is a serious health issue, especially in Beijing. For even the healthiest people, air pollution can irritate the respiratory tract and cause serious health problems such as asthma attacks, coughing and wheezing, shortness of breath and chest pain when inhaling deeply. It can also increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and even early death.

Before spectators leave for Beijing, the American Lung Association advises all Olympic travelers to plan in advance for any health emergencies that may arise. Those individuals with conditions such as asthma, COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis), heart disease and diabetes are encouraged to make a doctor's appointment before making the trip. . . .

"Smokers are also encouraged to take steps to quit," advised Edelman. "Not only does smoking add to the pollution, but will also make for an even greater strain on your lungs. The American Lung Association's Freedom From Smoking online program is a valuable resource for those who want to break free from nicotine."

Jump to full article »

American Lung Association Congratulates the U.S. House of Representatives for Passage of Historic Tobacco Legislation 

The American Lung Association congratulates the U.S. House of Representatives for its historic passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act today. The overwhelming margin of support this legislation received highlights the bipartisan consensus that the time has come for it to become law. The American Lung Association now calls on the U.S. Senate, where the legislation has 57 sponsors, to pass this important public health bill in September.

"This legislation will finally provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with the authority it needs to regulate the marketing, production and distribution of tobacco products, which have been historically exempt from the most basic oversight," said Bernadette A. Toomey, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. "The House of Representatives is to be commended for its vote, which history will look back upon as a turning point in our nation's battle against deadly tobacco products."

Jump to full article »

New Studies on Menthol and Polonium-210 in Cigarettes Show Need for FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products 

Two new studies published online today in the American Journal of Public Health demonstrate the critical need for Congress to enact pending legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory authority over tobacco products. One study found that tobacco companies deliberately manipulate levels of menthol in cigarettes in ways the authors conclude recruit new, young smokers and satisfy long-term smokers. The second study found that tobacco companies, because of public relations and litigation concerns, suppressed their own internal research about the presence of polonium-210, a radioactive, cancer-causing chemical, in cigarettes and cigarette smoke.

These studies demonstrate how the current lack of regulation allows tobacco companies to manipulate their products in ways harmful to health and to control what is in their products and what they disclose about them. Currently, no government agency has the authority to regulate menthol, polonium-210 or any of the more than 4,000 chemicals in a cigarette. The legislation before Congress would fundamentally change this harmful status quo by granting the FDA authority over the manufacturing and marketing of tobacco products. For the first time, decisions about tobacco products would be made to protect public health rather than to maximize the profits of the tobacco industry.

Jump to full article »

Former U.S. Surgeon General Julius B. Richmond, 91  

General Julius B. Richmond, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician and pioneer in child development and anti-tobacco education, died Sunday, July 27, 2008, of cancer at his home near Boston. He was 91.

Dr. Richmond served as President Carter's Assistant Secretary for Health and as U.S. Surgeon General from 1977 to 1981. As Surgeon General, Dr. Richmond reinvigorated tobacco control efforts through the release of the 1979 Surgeon General's Report presenting for the first time overwhelming scientific evidence of the multiple harmful effects of smoking. The American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence - a program dedicated to eliminating children's exposure to tobacco and secondhand smoke - is named in honor of Dr. Richmond's lifelong commitment to the health of children and families.

"Dr. Richmond was one of the giants in our field," . . .

Although he officially retired in 1988, Dr. Richmond continued to teach, write and mentor students and colleagues. He served as an expert witness in several historic class-action litigations against the tobacco industry and served as founding chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI). FAMRI, a not-for-profit medical research foundation, was established as a result of a class action suit brought against the tobacco industry on behalf of flight attendants exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke in airline cabins.

Jump to full article »

APHA Urges House to Protect Health of Americans by Passing Tobacco Legislation 

The American Public Health Association strongly urges U.S. House members to vote in support of pending legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products.

Although tobacco use is responsible for more than 400,000 deaths each year and costs more than $155 billion each year in medical expenses and lost productivity, tobacco products remain virtually unregulated.

Despite decades of evidence of their damage, tobacco companies have marketed their deadly products to our children, deceived consumers about the harm their products cause, and failed to take any meaningful action to make their products less harmful or less addictive. The Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act would finally end the special protection enjoyed by the tobacco industry and protect our children and the nation's health instead.

Jump to full article »

PHA Commends House Passage of Tobacco Legislation 

The American Public Health Association applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for today passing the Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. The legislation aims to protect the health of Americans, particularly children, by giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products.

For decades the tobacco companies have marketed their deadly products to our children, deceived consumers about the harm their products cause, and failed to take any meaningful action to make their products less harmful or less addictive. Today's passage of this tobacco control legislation provides an opportunity to finally end the special protection enjoyed by the tobacco industry and protect our children and the nation's health instead.

Jump to full article »

Hutchinson Center Receives $7.6 Million Federal Grant to Study How Genetic Variations Influence Risk of Common Diseases 

Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have received a $7.6 million, four-year grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute to better understand the genetic and biological roots of common diseases. The Hutchinson Center is one of four U.S. research institutes to receive grants totaling about $31 million toward this effort.

The Hutchinson Center project, led by biostatistician and principal investigator Charles Kooperberg, Ph.D., and epidemiologist and co-principal investigator Ulrike "Riki" Peters, Ph.D., both of the Center's Public Health Sciences Division, will study how specific genetic variants influence the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other common conditions, from obesity to dementia.

Mining more than a decade of data from the Women's Health Initiative, an ethnically and socio-economically diverse study population involving nearly 162,000 postmenopausal women nationwide, Kooperberg and colleagues will look also at how previously identified genetic variants are related to biological and physical characteristics associated with disease risk, such as weight, cholesterol and blood-sugar levels, and bone density. The scientists also will examine how lifestyle factors, such as diet, medications and smoking, may interact with genetic factors to influence health outcomes.

Jump to full article »

Response from HealthFitness CEO Gregg O. Lehman, Ph.D., to Report Finding Investment in Disease Prevention Could Save America $5.60 For Every $1 Spent 

HealthFitness President and CEO Gregg O. Lehman, Ph.D., responded today to a report enumerating the return on investment that prevention activities can bring to Americans. The report was released Thursday by Trust for America's Health, and found that an investment of $10 per person per year in programs to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking and other tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion annually within five years -- a return on investment of about $5.60 for every $1 spent.

"Each day HealthFitness contributes to the health and wellness of the workforce of our nation's largest employers by managing fitness, disease prevention and health risk reduction programs on-site at more than some 400 locations," Lehman said. "For our more than 300 clients, this is confirmation that the investment they are making in our suite of face-to-face, telephonic and Web-based health management services will yield a positive return in better employee health and overall cost savings. Investment in these programs where people work, live, learn and play will serve to successfully integrate prevention and health awareness into the whole community culture."

The study's findings are based on a model developed by researchers at the Urban Institute

Jump to full article »

How Misperceptions Drive Social and Political Agendas 

Dr. Turner, who heads the Department of Student Health at the University of Virginia and is president-elect of the American College Health Association, will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 National Conference on the Social Norms Approach set for July 20-22 at the Hyatt Regency at the San Francisco Airport. . . .

it may take decades to determine whether a common perception is correct or not. As an example, he cites the endorsement, prior to the 1950s, of cigarette smoking by many in the medical community. One ad for Lucky Strike cigarettes, for example, proclaimed: "20,679 Physicians say Luckies are less irritating."

But with accurate data, Dr. Turner argues that misperceptions can be corrected -- and behaviors changed -- through concerted social norms campaigns. Such campaigns involve the dissemination of accurate information showing that most members of a particular group engage in healthy behaviors.

The approach has shown success in reducing high-risk drinking on college campuses by promoting accurate information about how much students on each campus actually drink. Among the schools that have positive results are University of Virginia, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Northern Illinois University, Rowan University, the University of Arizona, the University of Missouri and Western Washington University.

The approach is also being used in a variety of other settings - from high schools to state regulatory agencies -- to address issues such as smoking

Jump to full article »

Esperanza Urges Congress to Pass Historic Tobacco Legislation 

Esperanza, the largest Hispanic faith-based organization in the country, presses Congress to take advantage of opportunity to prevent youth smoking and pass H.R 1108, "The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act." This legislation gives the FDA the ability to regulate tobacco products and marketing in order to prevent tobacco companies from targeting youth.

"With H.R. 1108 the FDA would have the ability to further restrict sales of tobacco products to children and require more meaningful warnings on tobacco products," said the President of Esperanza Rev. Luis Cortes.

Jump to full article »

Senator Stabenow Joins As Co-Sponsor of Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act 

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) hailed the support of Senator Debbie A. Stabenow (D-MI) who has signed on as a cosponsor of a bill to establish the first ever multi-agency, comprehensive program targeted at lung cancer.

Entitled Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2008, S.3187 authorizes a five year program to reduce the mortality rate of lung cancer which continues to be the number one cancer killer.

Lung cancer causes more deaths each year than breast, prostate, colon, kidney, melanoma and liver cancers combined.

Jump to full article »

Philip Morris International Caught in Philippines in Another Concert Sponsorship 

For the second time in recent weeks, international tobacco control advocates are calling on Philip Morris International to withdraw its sponsorship and promotion of a major concert, this time in the Philippines where the company's activities appear to violate national law.

Last month, Philip Morris International withdrew its sponsorship of singer Alicia Keys' concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, after the company was criticized for engaging in cigarette marketing that appealed to children and after Ms. Keys called for the sponsorship to be withdrawn.

Now health advocates are urging Philip Morris International to end its involvement in an August 30 reunion concert by the popular Filipino band Eraserheads, which has been called the "Beatles of the Philippines." Those seeking tickets to the concert are being directed to http://www.marlboro.ph, a web site run by Philip Morris International's Philippine subsidiary.

Jump to full article »