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September 2010 Tobacco Control in the News

Teens in Louisville Receive Texts to Help With Quitting Smoking

September 28, 2010 - The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness has developed a program that will send text messages to teens to remind them to stop smoking or not to start smoking at all. Read more.

Less Australians Smoking After Tobacco Tax Increase

September 24, 2010 - The Australian government has noticed a significant decrease in smoking rates after increased taxes on tobacco. According to a new report, as many as 300,000 people quit smoking after the taxes on tobacco were increased by 25% this past April. Read more.

NAQC New Quitline Map

September 24, 2010 - The North American Quitline Consortium has developed a new quitline map with state profiles and other resources. Read more.

New Veteran’s Health Administration Cessation Benefit

September 23, 2010 - The Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA), a national leader in health promotion and disease prevention, will now provide free over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to employees. The recent Institute of Medicine Report, “Combating Tobacco Use in Military and Veteran Population,” recommended that, as part of a comprehensive tobacco control program, both the Department of Defense and Veteran’s Administration provide barrier-free access to smoking cessation treatment, including NRT to assist employees who want to quit tobacco use. Read more.

Funding New Research on the Biological Pathways of Nicotine Addiction

September 23, 2010 - The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has recently given a grant to GeneGo, Inc., a company which develops systems biology technology, to develop biology platform research on the causes and treatment of tobacco dependence, nicotine addiction, smoking cessation, and tobacco and nicotine withdrawal. Read more.

Snus is Not a Safe Option for Pregnant Women

September 21, 2010 - Snus, a moist form of smokeless tobacco that is consumed by placing it under the lip, is generally perceived as less harmful and more “socially acceptable” than cigarettes. Given this view, pregnant women may use snus as a “safer alternative” to cigarettes during their pregnancy, unaware of the impact it may be having on their health and the health of their baby. While evidence has shown that smoking during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, and stillbirth, little is known about the risks of using snus during pregnancy. However, a Swedish study published in the journal Epidemiology has recently investigated these risks and has found that women who use snus during pregnancy are at an increased risk of preterm delivery. Read more.

Smokeless Tobacco Products Are Not a Safe Alternative According to the American Heart Association

September 20, 2010 - The American Heart Association (AHA) published a press release last week recommending against the use of smokeless tobacco products (ST) as an alternative to cigarette smoking or as a smoking cessation product and states that they are not a “safe” alternative to cigarettes. This statement was published mainly to address concerns raised by a Swedish study that found there was a significant decrease in smoking among Swedish men between 1976 and 2002 as a result of an increase in the use of smokeless tobacco products. However, studies in the United States have not had the same results and reports have shown that there is no reduction in smoking prevalence among people who use smokeless tobacco products. Read more.

Internet-Based Smoking Cessation Interventions: Are These Effective?

Recently, the Internet has been used for many innovative solutions to different problems, including smoking cessation. While Internet-based interventions have become more and more popular, little has been done to test their effectiveness. A recent Cochrane Review, “Internet-based Interventions for Smoking Cessation,” was conducted to provide more evidence on the subject and to determine if web-based smoking cessation interventions can effectively help people to stop smoking. Read more.

Study Shows that Covering Smoking Cessation Will Save States Money

The American Lung Association released the results of a nation-wide study Tuesday showing that investing in smoking cessation services saves lives and money. Researchers at Penn State University studied the costs and benefits of behavioral and pharmacologic programs to determine if the costs of making smoking cessation programs available on the state-level could be justified by the benefits. The study specifically took into account the costs that smoking cessation would have on each state, such as lost tax and retail revenue, as well as the benefits each program would have. Researchers focused on the state-level, since it is ultimately the state that is responsible for insurance regulation and coverage decisions. Read more.

Practice Nurses Excel in Smoking Cessation Role

Practice nurses can help patients achieve good long term smoking cessation rates and more should be done to provide support and remuneration for this role, an Australian study suggests. Read more.

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