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Fight to Quit, Quit to Live

11/12/2008

U.S. Troops Need Every Tool in the Arsenal to Win the Battle with Tobacco

WASHINGTON, D.C. – American Marines and sailors are smoking at alarming levels these days. In a recent survey by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), 64 percent of the 408 Marines and sailors surveyed reported using some form of tobacco. In contrast, about 20 percent of U.S., adults smoke. Historically, tobacco use has been linked to service in the military - some may see it as a stress reliever especially during times of deployment and tours of duty that extend beyond the traditional time frame.

To help the millions of smokers who want to quit, the American Legacy Foundation^® has partnered with a host of state health agencies and other national organizations an innovative way to help all smokers quit. EX^® is an unprecedented new public health campaign that works to change the way smokers feel about the difficult process of quitting and guide them to valuable, free resources to build and activate successful quit attempts. The program provides with tools to:

• “Re-learn” their thinking on the behavioral aspects of smoking and how different smoking triggers can be overcome with practice and preparation
• “Re-learn” their knowledge of addiction and how medications can increase their chances for quitting success and
• “Re-learn” their ideas of how support from friends and co-workers can play a critical role in quitting.

According to the recent ACCP research, 80 percent of military smokers said that being in the military had increased their tobacco use, while 74 percent of tobacco users in the study said they wanted to quit. These statistics are in line with what research has shown for years- 70 percent of smokers want to quit but only 5 percent are successful in quitting long term.

“Our troops continue to serve extended tours of duty and experience unexpected deployment to foreign countries filled with life-threatening violence, “said Cheryl G. Healton, Dr. P.H., president and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation “The foundation applauds their sacrifice and understands their need to relieve stress, but we encourage them to find alternatives to smoking. We hope the EX program will give our troops the tools they need to win the war against tobacco addiction,” she said.

The BecomeAnEX.org Web site brings the re-learn idea to life, offering action-oriented content and videos to help smokers re-learn all aspects of their smoking addiction. The site helps users develop a personalized quit plan that includes medication and support, plus it gives them an opportunity to practice breaking the link between cigarettes and their associated triggers, before they actually stop smoking. The EX program lives online and thus is readily accessible for troops with internet access.

EX participants can also share their struggles, successes in virtual support group. The community pages allow for participants to practice the idea of social support as a definite factor with successful quit attempts

The EX tools were designed in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and with input from former and current smokers who have lived with this struggle in order to provide smokers with a realistic approach based on evidence based research. More information about the EX program is available online at http://www.becomeanex.org/. Or to learn more about lung cancer please visit http://www.americanlegacy.org/.

EX^® isa new public health campaign presented by the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation, a collaboration of the nation’s leading public health organizations, 16 states and the District of Columbia. The campaign will build smokers confidence in quitting smoking and guide them to useful resources that foster successful quit attempts. EX is the culmination of several years of research and testing, combining an understanding of the power of nicotine addiction with messages that resonate with and motivate smokers toward behavior change. TheEX approach is peer to peer and focuses on re-learning life without cigarettes, targeting the activities that prompt smokers to light up at the same times every day. The campaign, which began airing nationwide on March 31, 2008 includes television, radio, online, out-of-home advertising and a state-of-the-art, interactive Web site (http://www.becomeanex.org/) with tips and tools for quitting including personalized quit plans, and a virtual community where smokers can share stories and strategies about their experiences quitting. Founding members of the NATC include the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Legacy Foundation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and clinical partner, the Mayo Clinic.

The American Legacy Foundation^® is equipped with a VideoLink ReadyCam™ television studio system, providing you with faster, easier access to the nation’s leading tobacco prevention and cessation experts. From this in-house broadcast studio, Legacy can offer immediate access to its experts to comment on breaking news, new research publications, or any news related to youth smoking prevention, adult quit smoking programs, or any issue related to smoking. The studio is connected directly to the Vyvx fiber network and is always available for live or pre-taped interviews. To arrange an interview, please contact Julia Cartwright at 202-454-5596.

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Contact: Najma Roberts, 202-454-5561, nroberts@americanlegacy.org