FTC Reports Smokeless Tobacco Marketing Is On the Rise - August 9th, 2011
FTC Reports Smokeless Tobacco Marketing Is On the Rise
Increasing Number of Arkansans Using Smokeless Products
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Aug. 8, 2011) – A recently released report by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that advertising and promotion spending by major manufacturers of smokeless tobacco in the U.S. has risen from $354.1 million in 2006 to $547.9 million in 2008. This represents a nearly 55 percent increase in spending in just two years.
The uptick in the marketing of smokeless tobacco correlates to a steady rise in smokeless tobacco usage by Arkansans. As of 2008, 7.1 percent of Arkansas adults used smokeless tobacco, up from 5.1 percent in 2002. More men than women use smokeless tobacco products, and of the male population, 16.2 percent of white non-Hispanic adult males use smokeless tobacco. Four percent of Hispanic men and 3.6 percent of African-American men use smokeless tobacco.
Alarmingly, this trend extends to Arkansas’ youth, namely high school boys. In 2010, 30.9 percent of white non-Hispanic males in grades 9 through 12 reported using smokeless tobacco products, an increase of 24 percent from 2005. Among African-American and Hispanic high school-aged males, 6.5 percent and 12.9 percent used smokeless tobacco products respectively, significantly higher than the overall usage rates for adults of the same ethnicities.
Many attribute the increase in smokeless tobacco use to an increase in smoke-free policies in workplaces and public places. Tobacco companies have marketed their smokeless products as a way to obtain nicotine when smoking isn’t an option, specifically encouraging the use of these products in offices and airplanes. The tobacco industry’s marketing efforts dwarf what states spend to keep youth from starting to use tobacco and helping tobacco users quit, outspending such programs at a rate of 20 to 1 in 2008.
Southwest and north central Arkansas, as well as some Delta counties, maintain the highest concentrations of smokeless users in the state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ranked Arkansas third in the nation for smokeless tobacco use based on 2006-2007 data.
“There is no question that smokeless tobacco use is a growing problem in our state,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler, medical director for the Arkansas Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program. “That’s why we have renewed focus in the last several years on raising awareness of the serious health consequences of smokeless tobacco while also offering valuable resources to those who want to quit.”
Smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. According to the CDC, smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancer-causing agents and is a known cause of several types of human cancer. Since the tobacco is typically held between the lips and gums, smokeless tobacco has severe consequences for oral health. In addition to cancer, smokeless tobacco is associated with recession of the gums, gum disease and tooth decay.
Smokeless users in Arkansas can receive help via the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline. Callers receive five one-on-one phone sessions with a QuitCoach® tailored to the individual’s specific needs and unlimited access to Web Coach™, an interactive, online community that offers tools to quit, social support and more information about quitting. The service can be accessed seven days, 24 hours a day, and is available in English, Spanish and additional languages as needed, including Marshallese. The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline is available year round by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
About the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program
The Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program is a branch of the Arkansas Department of Health. It funds the state tobacco Quitline, as well as the Stamp Out Smoking media and public education campaign and tobacco control coalitions across the state. For more information, visit stampoutsmoking.com.
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