Mar 28, 2011
Letter from Diane Canova

Dear Partners,

April is National Cancer Control Month, as it has been every year since 1938. As President Obama said in the proclamation last year, “With simple, everyday activities, we all can take steps to protect ourselves and our loved ones from cancer.” Quitting smoking is one of those steps.

An important message about smoking cessation is that it is never too late to quit. People who stop and remain nonsmokers for at least 10 to 20 years can cut their risk of developing lung cancer in half. Those who quit smoking in their 60s, 70s, and even 80s benefit by reducing their risk of dying from a heart attack or from developing lung or head and neck cancer.

Often overlooked in the consideration of quitting smoking is the benefit of quitting to people already diagnosed with cancer. PDQ, the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database, has information on the topic of Smoking Cessation and Continued Risk in Cancer Patients.

Mar 28, 2011
Office on Smoking and Health Director Sees Opportunities for Advancing Cessation

Last fall a new director took charge of the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tim McAfee, M.D., M.P.H., joined OSH following a distinguished career in tobacco control as a clinician, researcher, and public health evaluator. He worked for 20 years in population-based and clinical preventive health, with a strong focus on tobacco control. Since 2003, he served as the Chief Medical Officer for Free & Clear, a company providing quitline services to 26 states, as well as many health plans and individuals. He helped found and served on the Board of Directors of the North American Quitline Consortium, as well as numerous state and national tobacco policy advisory groups, and is an adjunct faculty member in the University of Washington School of Public Health.

ActionToQuit recently spoke with Dr. McAfee to learn about his vision for the Office on Smoking and Health and tobacco control in general.

Mar 28, 2011
ActionToQuit Grantees Moving Ahead:  Georgia

The 2010 ActionToQuit State Grantees have held their summits and are working on implementing their strategies to increase access to tobacco cessation treatments. The 2011 grantees have started work on their projects. Each month the newsletter features an interview with a different grantee to share information about their activities and progress. The interview this month is with Georgia.

Mar 28, 2011
Research

-Prevalence of Heavy Smoking in California and the United States, 1965-2007
-A Nationwide Analysis of US Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Smoking Behaviors, Smoking Cessation, and Cessation-Related Factors
-Evaluation of a Nationally Disseminated Self-Help Intervention for Smoking Cessation (‘Quit Kit’)

Mar 28, 2011
Odds and Ends

-Business Case for Worksite Cessation
-NYC Quits

There are no key dates for this briefing.