nntpp-announce Messages: Lists

On April 18, 2005, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed smokefree workplace legislation into law. Montana becomes the nation's 8th smokefree workplace state, joining California, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

The law takes effect Oct. 1 for all restaurants, buildings, and offices, but it will not apply to Montana's bars for another four years, a concession opposed by major health groups.

"This is classic example of what can happen in Montana with commonsense people finding Montana common ground," Schweitzer, a Democrat, said during a signing ceremony at the Capitol. "This will protect children for generations to come."

Dr. Richard Sargent of Helena, a longtime advocate of smokefree workplace legislation, said other states were stunned to learn that "Marlboro Country" decided to go smokefree. The development in Montana may spur similar laws elsewhere, he said. "In the end, this is a health issue and we're going to protect the health of the people of Montana," Sargent said. "We finally got it done and a lot sooner than we thought."

NNTPP Note: Missoula City-County Health Department, State of Montana has recently become a National Stakeholder of NNTPP. There are currently 96,000 people in the state and Montana has the lowest income per person in the U.S. Montana has many working poor and the second largest employer in the state is Wal-Mart. Spit tobacco is a major issue. Currently, the state ranks third behind West Virginia and Wyoming in usage rate.

NNTPP and Missoula City-County Health Department are currently working on the spit tobacco issue and developing an initiative to target low income populations in the state.

2) Tobacco Cessation for Correctional Populations, A Health Education Manual – Now Available

The National Network on Tobacco Prevention and Poverty and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care are proud to announce that the Tobacco Cessation for Correctional Populations, A Health Education Manual is now available.

This is one of the few tobacco education/cessation resources specifically developed for use in correctional facilities. The Guide was developed with the assistance of national organizations, tobacco control experts, organizations serving incarcerated individuals and ex-offenders, and the administrative and health staff of prisons, jails and juvenile facilities nationwide.

The Guide contains two curriculum modules: Module One is designed to educate individuals on the health effects of tobacco use; Module Two is a guide for quitting. The curriculum also contains instructions for facilitators, reproducible handouts and a resource section to obtain additional information and materials.

The Guide is available for $125.00 which includes the manual, CD ROM, colored overhead transparencies, and shipping. It can also be purchased for $75.00 without the transparencies. For more information, please call the Health Education Council/NNTPP at (888) 442-2836 or you may email kbrown@healthedcouncil.org to request an order form.

3) California Smoking Rates Drop 33 Percent Since State’s Anti-Tobacco Program Began

Source: California Department of Health Services

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2005--California's adult smoking rate dropped to a historic low of 15.4 percent in 2004, a 32.5 percent decrease since 1988, when California voters passed Proposition 99, the landmark initiative that established the state's anti-tobacco program, State Public Health Officer Dr. Richard J. Jackson announced today.

"Every year, more Californians are making the commitment to live tobacco-free," said Jackson. "Our messages about the dangers of tobacco use, secondhand smoke and the tobacco industry's misleading marketing practices are resonating with all Californians."

According to the California Department of Health Services, the state's latest survey shows the adult smoking prevalence rate was 15.4 percent last year, compared with 22.8 percent in 1988. Smoking among California females has dropped 41 percent, from 20.5 in 1988 to 12.1 percent in 2004. Among California males, smoking has dropped 25 percent, from 25.1 percent in 1988 to 18.7 percent in 2004.

State health officials credit California's smoke-free policies, comprehensive local and school-based tobacco education programs, aggressive media campaign and increased tobacco taxes as key factors in the unprecedented statewide smoking reductions. "The decrease in smoking rates is having a profound effect on the health of Californians," said Jackson. "As a result of fewer Californians smoking, rates of cancer of the lung or bronchus in California are going down at three times the rate of the rest of the country."

Although smoking has declined among all age groups, 18 to 24 year olds continue to have the highest smoking rate of any age group in California. The smoking rate among this age group was 18.3 percent in 2004, down from 22.2 percent in 2003. Data released earlier this year show California youth also are smoking at historic lows. According to the 2004 California Student Tobacco Survey, 13.2 percent of the state's high school students smoked last year, which is 41 percent lower than the national rate of 22.3. Among middle school students in grades six through eight, 3.9 percent reported smoking last year, which is 52 percent lower than the national rate of 8.1 in 2004. "California's youth are choosing tobacco-free lifestyles because smoking is no longer seen as a social norm in this state and is no longer tolerated in public places," said State Health Director Sandra Shewry. "We have smoke-free restaurants, shopping malls, schools, playgrounds, parks and beaches. We have created a healthier California." Added Jackson, "Despite these vast reductions in smoking, the battle against this very dangerous addiction must continue. There are nearly four million Californians who still smoke and thousands of teenagers who start smoking every year. As long as tobacco products are sold, California must continue its anti-tobacco programs to educate people about the dangers of smoking, the hazards of secondhand smoke and the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry."

In November 1988, Proposition 99 was approved by California voters, instituting a 25-cent tax on cigarettes and earmarking 5 cents of every cigarette pack sold to fund the California Tobacco Control Program, the nation's longest running and most emulated anti-tobacco program.

Contact:

California Department of Health Services

Ken August or Lea Brooks, 916-440-7660

http://www.dhs.ca.gov

4) Anti-Smoking Program Gives Unions a Tool to Help Members Quit

By Jeff Zethmayr — March 30, 2005

The Union Advocate

ST. PAUL — As anti-smoking bans take effect in Ramsey and Hennepin counties, an initiative called WorkSHIFTS is giving labor leaders and employers a new tool to deal with the risks and consequences of smoking in the workplace. WorkSHIFTS creates awareness of the health and economic benefits of quitting, and provides education and training to help make that happen, said director Susan Weisman. Union officials helped develop the program for the Tobacco Law Center at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul. The program's most visible elements are Union and Employer Guides to Tobacco – a collection of tobacco information pamphlets. The guides focus on the health risks of smoking, the benefits of quitting, and the impact of tobacco-related illnesses on the rising costs of health care.

Zeroing in on specific occupations
For example, the union guide spells out how cigarette smoke and workplace toxins can combine to create a "multiplier effect," making each other more dangerous to workers who smoke. That's the kind of information union members in an industrial setting should know, said Doug Williams, an international representative for IUE-CWA Local 1140.

The union guide also describes how tobacco companies' marketing strategies aim at working-class consumers, especially those who already smoke. The four occupations with the highest rates of smoking are transportation and material moving, waiters and waitresses, laborers, and construction trades, research shows. The information packets are especially helpful because they are divided into sections for specific audiences, said Terry Wiederich, one of the labor leaders who helped create the guides. Wiederich is director of Minnesota LECET, the Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust.

Seeking employer participation
Weisman said WorkSHIFTS' next step is to collaborate with labor leaders and employers to create tobacco policies that both promote a healthful environment and protect workers' rights. She said she also hopes unions can negotiate benefits for smokers who quit and free programs to help them do so. Wade Luneburg plans on using the union guide to do just that. The bans on smoking in restaurants in Ramsey and Hennepin counties mean many unionized restaurant employees no longer will be able to smoke at work. Luneburg, political director for UNITE HERE Local 17, said he plans on using the guide to help members who decide to utilize the ban as an opportunity to finally quit. Weisman said the best way to get employer cooperation is by persuading them that dealing with tobacco use is an effective way to lower health-care costs. Minnesota employers pay more than $1.6 billion a year in health costs related to tobacco, WorkSHIFTS pamphlets say. Tobacco also costs employers money through lost productivity and increased fire insurance premiums.

5) State Fact Sheets Available through The Center for Tobacco Cessation

The Center for Tobacco Cessation has developed fact sheets that offer “snapshots” of the environment of support for tobacco cessation in every state and the District of Columbia. You can access your state’s fact sheet online.

6) NNTPP – Case Studies and Focus Group Summary Now Available

The National Network on Tobacco Prevention and Poverty announces the release of two case studies written in collaboration with two of our national Stakeholder organizations. Tobacco Policy, Cessation, and Education in Correctional Facilities Case Study highlights NNTPP’s collaboration with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and a joint survey conducted among correctional facilities across the United States to examine tobacco use policies and cessation programming. Integrating Tobacco Control into The Salvation Army’s Substance Abuse Training Curriculum Case Study focuses on NNTPP’s collaboration with The Salvation Army. It describes our efforts to integrate nicotine addiction treatment into The Salvation Army’s alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs.

In addition, NNTPP also released a summary report of our focus group data collected in collaboration with West Virginia University-Prevention Research Center titled Smoking Habits and Prevention Strategies in Low Socio-economic Status Populations. The objectives of the focus groups were to review the social and cultural nuances that support/encourage smoking in low SES populations, identify communication channels most effective in reaching this population with tobacco cessation/prevention messages, and to tailor prevention messages to reach low SES adults.

Copies of the case studies and the focus group summary may be obtained by calling the Health Education Council, toll-free at 1(888) 442-2836 or emailing nntpp@healthedcouncil.org ..

7) Announcements

A Program to Prevent Smoking Among Urban Youth

The CDC Foundation currently has grants available. Letter of intent is due May 6, 2005 and the application is due June 29, 2005. For more information contact Dacia LaDonis, Program Officer at: DLaDonis@cdc.gov

2005 Grant Opportunities Notebook

The notebook is a guide to this year's federal funding opportunities for faith-based and community organizations across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Included in the notebook is information on approximately 40 grants in the following areas: Community Development, At-Risk Children and Youth, Senior, Health, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health programs. Also included is information on the Compassion Capital Fund, how to be a grant reviewer, how to make a Freedom of Information request, and web resources for organizations interested in federal funding.