The theme of the 2010 World No Tobacco Day is “gender and tobacco with an emphasis on marketing to women.”  The World Health Organization notes that women comprise about 20 percent of the world’s more than 1 billion smokers, and its recent report on women and health points to evidence that tobacco advertising increasingly targets girls.

“World No Tobacco Day is an opportunity for us to join together with tobacco control partners across the globe to decrease tobacco use and its impact on our communities,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler, program director of the Arkansas Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.  “Tobacco use has potentially deadly consequences, and we want to make sure Arkansans are informed about the effects and available quitting resources so they can make the best choices for their health.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking increases the risk of women developing lung cancer by 13 times as compared with nonsmokers.  It causes 80 percent of all lung cancer deaths in women and 90 percent in men.  Cigarette smoking has also been linked to adverse reproductive and early childhood effects such as infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome.

The Quitline offers free one-on-one phone counseling sessions with a trained Quit CoachÒ to help tobacco users break their dangerous habit.  Quit Coaches work with the tobacco user to develop a customized plan to quit, select a quit date and determine whether nicotine replacement therapy medications are needed.  Medications such as patches or lozenges can be provided free of charge for qualified callers.

Stamp Out Smoking is the media and public education campaign for the Arkansas Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.  For more information on quitting resources, visit stampoutsmoking.com or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

“It is our job to ensure Arkansans follow the law,” said Chuck Lange, executive director of the Arkansas Sheriffs Association.  “Law enforcement all over the state are committed to protecting the innocent lungs of Arkansas children by ramping up enforcement of Act 13.”

Act 13, also known as the Arkansas Protection from Secondhand Smoke for Children Act, was passed in 2006.  Arkansas was the first state in the nation to pass a law extending protection from secondhand smoke to cars, a law that has now been adopted by states such as Louisiana, Maine and California.  Violators of the law can avoid a fine on a first offense if they enroll in a program to quit tobacco.

“Secondhand smoke is extremely dangerous, especially to young children in a confined space,” said Dr. Paul Halverson, director and state health officer of the Arkansas Department of Health.  “There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke”.

According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 490 adults die in Arkansas every year due to secondhand smoke exposure.  It can cause severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections and sudden infant death syndrome.  It has also been linked to heart disease and lung cancer in adults.

Smoking in a car makes dangerous particle levels rise within seconds of a cigarette being lit.  The levels can exceed the hazardous limit on the Environmental Protection Agency air quality index by 20 times or more.  Even with windows open, the smoke can stay trapped in the car, exposing children to high levels.  The smoke deposits onto the surfaces of the car interior, potentially exposing a child to chemicals even when no one is currently smoking.

Partners in the effort to protect Arkansas children from secondhand smoke include: the Arkansas Department of Health, the Arkansas Sheriffs Association, Arkansas State Police, Little Rock Police Department and tobacco control coalitions across the state.  With continued support from these groups, Arkansas will make strides toward eliminating involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke and will save lives as a result.

For more information about efforts to educate Arkansans about Act 13, visit stampoutsmoking.com.  To enroll in a program to quit tobacco, call the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Tobacco use has dangerous health effects on mother and child, including increased risk of allergies, asthma, lung problems and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.  The Quitline’s additional services aim to curtail this problem.

“We know the support of Quitlines greatly increases smokers’ chances of quitting,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler, program director of the Arkansas Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.

Health officials recommend mothers who smoke prepare their homes for a new child by adding these activities to their to-do list when baby-proofing their houses:

• Remove all tobacco products.
• Remove ashtrays.
• Wash fabrics the baby may come in contact with, including bedding, curtains and towels.

These actions will reduce temptation for mothers and provide a safe, clean environment for children to come home to.  It is also helpful to list the reasons for quitting and post them where they can be seen often, mark the quit date on a calendar, reward yourself with the money saved and enlist the support of friends and family.

Arkansas has 19 counties with more than 25 percent of pregnant women who smoke.  The state has a long way to go to protect the health of expecting mothers and their unborn children.  With the 10 free counseling sessions provided by the Quitline, consider it five for the mother and five for the unborn child.  It’s never too late to quit, and babies need a safe place to grow.  Celebrate Mother’s Day by working toward a healthier life.  Call the Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

About the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program

TPCP is a branch of the Arkansas Department of Health.  It funds the state tobacco Quitline, as well as the Stamp Out Smoking media campaign and tobacco control coalitions across the state.  For more information, visit stampoutsmoking.com.

In Arkansas, kids will celebrate with a silent march to the Capitol followed by a noon press conference inside the Rotunda.  Through the rally, kids are asking the tobacco companies to stop targeting them with marketing for cigarettes and other tobacco products.

“More than three hundred students from across the state have stepped up to communicate this year’s key message: ‘And That’s Why…No Tobacco Is Safe Tobacco,’” said Genine Perez, Youth Extinguishing Smoking Team coordinator.  “These participants play a crucial role in influencing our communities, leaders and peers to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco and to encourage users to quit.”  

In Arkansas, tobacco use claims 4,900 lives and costs $812 million in health care bills each year.  Currently, 20.7 percent of the state’s high school students smoke, and 13,900 kids try cigarettes for the first time each year.

Featured Events

Activities in Arkansas include (all events are on March 24 unless otherwise noted):

•    The Tobacco Control Youth Board will lead Arkansas Tobacco Free Kids Day participants in Little Rock in a silent march to the Capitol.  Participants will carry black cardboard coffins to illustrate the deadly effects of tobacco and secondhand smoke.  A noon press conference will follow inside the Rotunda of the Capitol where several legislators, tobacco control commissioners, Arkansas Department of Health officials and youth spokespeople will address the crowd.  The march will begin at 11:00 a.m., and the press conference will begin at 12:00 p.m..  Location: Capitol Building, Capitol Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive, Little Rock.  Contact: Genine Perez-Porch (501) 960-6423.

•    On April 4, the Parent Center from Dumas School District will host their 6th annual Family Night to celebrate Kick Butts Day and promote healthy lifestyles.  Time: 3:45 p.m.  Location: Dumas High School Gymnasium, 710 South Cherry Street, Dumas.  Contact: Susan Stewart (870) 377-0506.

•    On April 23, Baxter County Alternative School students and staff in Mountain Home will showcase cigarette litter that they have collected around the community in front of the courthouse square to rally with local community leaders and the Baxter County Tobacco Control Committee. Time: 11 a.m.  Location: Baxter County Courthouse, 1 East 7th Street, Mountain Home.  Contact: Eric Totty (870) 321-2833.

About The Partners

The Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI), a program of the Family Service Agency funded by the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), is a youth-led movement aiming to reduce and eliminate the use of tobacco by their peers. The YLI sponsors and facilitates three interconnecting youth organizations: the Tobacco Control Youth Board (TCYB), the Y.E.S. (Youth Extinguishing Smoking) Team, and Team Y.E.S. Speaks.  For more information, visit:  www.yesteam.org

Through With Chew Week was established in 1989 by the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Inc. as an educational campaign to raise awareness of the dangerous health effects of smokeless tobacco use.  During Through With Chew Week, one day is set aside as the Great American Spit Out to encourage tobacco users to quit for a day in hopes that they will quit for good.  This year, the Great American Spit Out will take place on Thursday, February, 18.

“Education and awareness campaigns are important to ensure Arkansans make informed choices about their health,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler, program director of the Arkansas Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.  “Our hope is that tobacco users will put into action the information they learn during Through With Chew Week and give up their habit for good on the Great American Spit Out.”

Smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to cigarettes.  It has a number of long- and short-term effects including oral cancer, receding gums, high blood pressure and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.  Among other harmful chemicals, smokeless tobacco contains cyanide, arsenic, lead, formaldehyde and cadmiun, which is a car battery acid.

According to the 2008 Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment Student Survey, the counties with the highest percentage of youth who used smokeless tobacco in the past 30 days are Calhoun at 19.8 percent, Jackson at 17.3 percent and Johnson at 15.5 percent.  However, overall smokeless tobacco use among Arkansas high school boys has declined from 21.2 percent in 2000 to 17.8 percent in 2007.  Despite progress made among Arkansas youth, smokeless tobacco use among Arkansas adults has climbed from 10.1 percent in 2000 to 13.8 percent in 2008.

New products have been developed, such as dissolvable strips and pouches of tobacco, which are more discreet than spit tobacco, to adapt to a growing number of smoke-free policies.  No matter what form it comes in, all tobacco is dangerous and addictive. For help quitting, call the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free motivational counseling and medications, such as patches or lozenges, while supplies last.

Stamp Out Smoking is the media and public relations campaign of the Arkansas Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.  The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline is managed by TPCP and operated by Free & Clear, Inc., a company providing evidence-based tobacco cessation services to more than 25 states in the country.  For more information, visit stampoutsmoking.com or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to quit tobacco.

Smoking has been shown to cause premature aging and puts users at risk for health problems including cancer, cardiovascular disease and adverse reproductive effects.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), quitting smoking will positively affect a tobacco user’s health for years to come.  The risk of coronary heart disease is cut by half only one year after quitting.  In as little as five years, the risk of stroke is reduced to that of a person who never smoked, and lung cancer risks drop by up to half after 10 years of being tobacco- free. It is never too late to stop smoking and begin living a healthier life.

The CDC recommends that states provide quitting services to 6 percent of their tobacco users and Arkansas is striving to reach that goal.

“We recognize that quitting tobacco isn’t easy, and that’s why we’re glad we can provide services like the Quitline to help,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler, Program Director of the Arkansas Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.  “We hope Arkansas tobacco users will take advantage of their New Year’s resolutions to make a fresh start and work toward a tobacco-free life with the support of the Quitline.”

The Quitline, whose services are absolutely free, confidential, and easy to access, offers a combination of motivational counseling with a trained Quit Coach® and free medications while supplies last.  Tobacco users receive free customized help to fit their needs, and can select their own quit date.  The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline has a 30 percent successful quit rate when measured after seven months.

Stamp Out Smoking is the media and public relations campaign of the Arkansas Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (TPCP).  The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline is managed by TPCP and operated by Free & Clear, Inc., a company providing evidence-based tobacco cessation services to more than 25 states in the country.  For more information, visit stampoutsmoking.com or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to quit smoking.

The Arkansas Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program, hosts an annual essay contest encouraging Arkansas youth to write essays about the heroes in their lives who exemplify healthy and tobacco-free lifestyles.

In the category for grades 2-3, Ethan Tabor, a 2nd grader from Harrison, won first place, while Brooke Rainwater, a 3rd grader from Paris, and Lilly Rogers, a 2nd grader from Jonesboro, placed second and third.  In the category for grades 4-6, Nicole Hill, a 4th grade student from Mena, took home the first-place prize. Hannah Braden, a 6th grade student from Viola, was awarded second place and Julie Thompson, a 6th grader from Leachville, came in third.  In the category for grades 7-9, Samantha McCain, a 7th grade student from Wheatley, was awarded first place, while Garrett Paul Wickham, a 9th grader from Mountain View, and Haley Harvell, an 8th grader from Arkadelphia, placed second and third.

“We had a tremendous response in this year’s contest.  It’s encouraging to see so many youth throughout our state who are motivated to follow their healthy heroes’ lifestyle to be tobacco-free,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler, TPCP program director.  The winning students will be awarded with exciting prizes such as a laptop, Nintendo Wii or an iPod.

An independent panel of judges from Stephen F. Austin State University’s English department in Nacogdoches, Texas, scored the entries and selected the winners.  All winning essays are posted on www.stampoutsmoking.com.

The “Tobacco Tackle” essay contest is a tobacco prevention program for the SOS media and public relations campaign.  For additional information on other tobacco prevention programs in your area, contact the Arkansas Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program office at (501) 661-2953 or visit www.stampoutsmoking.com.

“Arkansas has so many great resources to help tobacco users quit,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler, program director of the Arkansas Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.  “The Great American Smokeout, coupled with the dangerous health effects and growing costs of tobacco, is just one more reason for Arkansans to take advantage of those resources like the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline.”

The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline, which can be reached by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW, provides free motivational counseling with a trained Quit Coach® and free nicotine-replacement therapy medications such as patches and lozenges.  The Quitline is available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., and services are available in English, Spanish, Marshallese and additional languages if needed.  Counseling is tailored to the specific needs of the tobacco user.  Women who are pregnant are eligible for a specialized cessation program with additional benefits.

Smoking causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, and approximately doubles a person’s risk for stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  It causes cancers of the bladder, oral cavity, esophagus, kidney and lung, and has adverse reproductive and early childhood effects.  Although nicotine is extremely addictive, quitting is possible with the proper support.

For information on additional cessation resources available in Arkansas, visit stampoutsmoking.com.  To begin tobacco cessation counseling with the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, and take the first step toward freedom from tobacco.

Stamp Out Smoking is the media and public relations campaign of the ADH Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.  The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline is managed by TPCP and operated by Free & Clear, Inc., a company providing evidence-based tobacco cessation services to 17 states in the country.

“We have made great strides in Arkansas tobacco control this year,” said Dr. Paul Halverson, director and state officer of the Arkansas Department of Health.  “From the passage of the state and federal tobacco tax increase to the expanded quitting services offered by a new Quitline vendor, we are glad to see Arkansans taking advantage of the reasons and resources to help them quit tobacco.”

The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline, which can be reached by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW, began operation under Free & Clear, Inc. in October 2008.  The Quitline offers one-on-one counseling with a Quit Coach® by phone or online to help participants take responsibility for and overcome their addiction to tobacco use.  A Quit Coach is professionally trained to help tobacco users prepare to quit, choose a quit day, change their routines, cope with withdrawl, and fight slips and relapses.

The Quitline also provides free nicotine-replacement therapy medications such as patches and lozenges (while supplies last).  Recently, the Quitline began offering counseling services for 16- and 17-year-old tobacco users.  However, tobacco users must be 18 or older to qualify for the free medications.  The Quitline offers specialized programs for pregnant women who want to quit, as well as a fax referral program that allows doctors to connect their patients to the Quitline.

ADH’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program funds the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline through Tobacco Settlement Proceeds.  Services are available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. in English, Spanish, Marshallese and more than 160 other languages.  For more information, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit stampoutsmoking.com.

Dr. Paul Halverson, director of the ADH and State Health Officer said, “We are encouraged by these results.  Overcoming tobacco addiction is one of the hardest things anyone can do—especially for adults that have been smoking for a long time.  We applaud these Arkansans who have beaten addiction and celebrate with them as they lead healthier lives. However, we still have more work to do as we have many Arkansans that would benefit from a tobacco-free lifestyle.”

“This news is also good for Arkansas’s economic health,” Governor Mike Beebe said. “When fewer people smoke, we have healthier employees, healthier families and less demand for health-care services.  It all adds up to a healthier workforce, which will help us in our efforts to attract new business and industry to Arkansas.”

The ADH Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (TPCP) funded through the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, works to reduce tobacco use in Arkansas.  Through community and school prevention programs, a media and public relations campaign known as Stamp Out Smoking, and cessation services for tobacco users looking to quit, TPCP continues to see the positive effects of its efforts.

“It’s rewarding to see our hard work pay off with the release of these new numbers,” said Dr. Carolyn Dresler, ADH Director of the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program, “It takes all of our partners working together to achieve these kinds of results, and through youth prevention efforts, quitting services like the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline and policy changes like the tobacco tax, we feel confident tobacco use in Arkansas will continue to decline.”

Arkansas has made significant strides over the past year to provide more services for tobacco users who want to quit, and Arkansans have overwhelmingly responded.  Since 2008 the toll-free Arkansas Tobacco Quitline has received more than 24,000 calls.  The Quitline, found at 1-800-QUIT-NOW, now offers free motivational coaching with a QuitCoach by phone or online and free medications while supplies last.

Alberta Faye Powell quit smoking on October 20, 2008 with the help of the Quitline.  She said that she was successful because of the combination of the nicotine patches, coaching and “having the attitude that you are ready to quit.”  She said the coaches provided assistance in a professional manner and assured her that it was okay to be honest if she failed and to start again.

While helping tobacco users quit smoking provides maximum benefits for the state and the individual, it is equally as important to ensure youth never start.  Arkansas has been successful in continuing a decline in youth smoking despite national statistics remaining stagnant.  In Arkansas, youth smoking has decreased from 34.7 percent in 2001 to 20.7 percent in 2007.

A decline in tobacco use in the state benefits all Arkansans.  It means lower health care costs due to smoking-related illness, less exposure to secondhand smoke and longer life expectancy resulting in more time with loved ones.  Smoking is a major cause of heart disease, stroke, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.  Since the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program began in 2002, the number of hospital admissions in Arkansas for heart attack, stroke, chronic bronchitis and emphysema has declined progressively each year resulting in substantial savings in healthcare costs.

For more information on SOS programs or how you can get involved in helping Arkansas become a healthier state, visit stampoutsmoking.com.  To quit smoking, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669).