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Jan.-Feb.
2012
In
This Issue:
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President's
Corner Blog:
Bridging
the Gap Between Smokers and Doctors
 A significant number of
smokers are not tapping into one of the best
sources of information for quitting smoking: their health
care providers (HCPs). New results from a national
survey show that about one-in-ten
smokers (13%) in the United States have not
disclosed their smoking status to their providers
at one time or another. The survey, funded in part
by Pfizer and conducted by researchers from
Legacy, used Knowledge Network's Knowledge Panel®
to survey more than 3000 Americans in March and
April 2011. Researchers found that the social
stigma of being a smoker in today's society may
have played a role in why respondents concealed
their smoking status from HCPs.
This
is an unfortunate corollary to the significant
shifts taking place regarding the social climate
around tobacco use in this country. In the last
decade alone, we have seen how higher cigarette
prices, increased measures to ban smoking in
public places, and the increasing prevalence of
smoke-free workplaces have created a climate where
- more and more - smoking is socially
unacceptable, not to mention
cost-prohibitive.
But
for those smokers still struggling to quit,
support in quitting and having the right
tools, information and resources are essential to
a successful quit attempt. Social acceptance
shouldn't stand in the way - especially when it
comes to relationships with your doctor. Doctors,
nurses and other health care providers can offer
information on the health effects of smoking,
treatment options and other important resources to
help put a patient on the path to quitting
successfully. Smokers who are still struggling to
quit need to be straightforward with their doctors
about their smoking status - not only to help them
get information on quitting, but also to give doctors
a "heads-up" about prospective health issues tied
to their tobacco addiction.
By
the same token, doctors and other health care
providers need to conduct meaningful and effective
conversations with their patients about smoking
and quitting. If patients are honest
and can start a conversation with their health
care providers by acknowledging their smoking
behavior, we can get more smokers on a path to quitting. Legacy developed a guide
to do just that - please check out our physicians'
guides - available in both English and Spanish.
Read
this blog and more at http://www.drcherylhealton.com/?utm_source=Jan%2FFeb+eNews+2012&utm_campaign=Legacy+eNews-Winter+2012&utm_medium=archive
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New
Legacy Survey Data Indicate Need for Policies that
Address Dual Use of Cigarettes and Cigars
In order to more fully understand
tobacco use patterns, researchers from Legacy
analyzed the demographics of a sample of people
who smoked both cigarettes and cigars. Researchers
found that this subgroup of "dual-use" smokers fit
a different profile than cigarette-only smokers.
Compared with cigarette-only smokers, results from
the study show that adult smokers who indicated
that they use both cigarettes AND cigars (12.5
percent), were more likely to be young, African
American, male, of low educational attainment, and
unemployed. Most notably, dual-users are less
likely to be daily smokers and but more likely to
use other tobacco products -- having implications
on cessation interventions by doctors who might
underestimate overall tobacco use.
Previous
research has shown that cigars and cigarillos are
already on the rise among young adults, especially
given that lower prices and sweet flavors may add
to their appeal. In addition, minority and
underserved populations that are most at-risk for
dual use are those same populations that often
bear a disproportionate brunt of tobacco-related
morbidity and mortality. For example,
African-American males experience higher rates of
lung cancer, although they tend to smoke fewer
cigarettes per day than other groups. Furthermore,
those with less than a high school education have
higher smoking rates and lower quit ratios than
smokers with a high school degree or higher.
The data show that this is an
opportune time to consider policies that would
classify cigars, little cigars and cigarillos
alongside cigarettes. While the Family Smoking
Prevention and Tobacco Control Act allows the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement new
regulations over tobacco products, the federal
government has yet to exercise its jurisdiction on
cigars.
Read
the full release here.
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Legacy
Offers Basic Tobacco Intervention Training
In
collaboration with The University of Arizona
Healthcare Partnership, Legacy is offering the
Basic Tobacco Intervention Skills for Maternal and
Child Health Certification Program. The training
will be held in conjunction with Break Free Alliance's 2012 conference,
Promising Practices to Eliminate Tobacco-Related
Disparities: The Power of
Communities April 17-18
in New Orleans, Louisiana. The training will be an
ancillary meeting to the conference and is
scheduled for Monday, April 16, 2012.
The
four-hour Basic Tobacco Intervention
Skills for Maternal and Child Health Certification
Program will provide a brief overview
with which to understand tobacco dependence,
treatment and the methods and techniques to
deliver effective brief intervention, based on an
Integrated Five A Model, to pregnant and
postpartum women who use tobacco. The Integrated
Five A Model (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist,
Arrange), forms the framework for the low
intensity/brief interventions taught by the
instructors. Additionally, the program provides an
opportunity to learn and practice the skills
necessary to perform evidence-based, low-intensity
tobacco dependence treatment interventions using a
proven model.
The
registration fee is $50.00. Please contact
Alex Parks at iparks@legacyforhealth.org or
202 454-5931 for more information or to
register.
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Legacy Welcomes
New Class of Youth Activists
Legacy's
Youth Activism team kicked off 2012 by hosting its
new class of Youth Activism Fellows in Washington,
DC. Legacy's Youth Activism Fellowship
program provides an opportunity for young adult
activists to receive training, mentorship, and
technical support for their local tobacco control
efforts. The 11 fellows were selected from a very
competitive pool of tobacco control advocates from
the around the country. They arrived at the Legacy
office in Washington D.C. with a wide range of
experiences in activism, with an eagerness to
learn, and with a unified passion for tobacco
control. The gathering served
as an opportunity for the fellows to learn about
Legacy's history and programs and detail
expectations of the fellowship.
Dr. Cheryl Healton, Legacy's
President and CEO, greeted the fellows and spoke
about the most pressing issues currently facing
the tobacco control movement, stressing how
tobacco continues to be a social justice
issue. Fellows also had an opportunity to
meet with staff from Legacy's various departments
including representatives of the
truth® youth smoking
prevention campaign.
The
Fellows hit the ground running, shared ideas and
made plans for the impact they will have on
improving the health of their local communities.
Through engaging activities they were able to
learn more about each others' diverse backgrounds
and experience in tobacco control activism. In the
coming months, fellows will continue to
communicate and share ideas as they engage in
tobacco control activism and local projects in
their communities, all in preparation for the next
Fellowship gathering in June 2012.
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Scholarship
Funding Available for Students
Applications are now being accepted
for the annual Dr. Alma S. Adams Scholarship for
Outreach and Health Communications to Reduce
Tobacco Use among Priority Populations. The
scholarship will award $5,000 each for up to two
candidates to pursue undergraduate or graduate
studies at an accredited institution of higher
education in the United States. The award will be
granted on a competitive basis to a candidate who
shows financial need; exemplifies a record of
commitment to community service on behalf of an
underserved community; and illustrates the best
use of the visual arts, media, or creative writing
to convey culturally appropriate health messages,
specifically those aimed at raising awareness of
tobacco's harmful impact.
Applications will be accepted
through April 30, 2012.
The
scholarship was created in honor of Dr. Alma S.
Adams, a professor of art at Bennett College for
Women in Greensboro, N.C., and a member of the
North Carolina House of Representatives since
1994. Throughout her legislative career, Adams has
spearheaded efforts to support families,
particularly children's programs. She served as a
founding member of Legacy's Board of Directors,
where she diligently pursued the concerns of
underserved populations that are traditionally
heavily marketed by the tobacco industry. For
additional information on the Dr. Alma S. Adams
Scholarship and to download an application, click
here.
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Nominate
a Colleague for Legacy's 2012 Tobacco Industry
Documents Awards
Legacy
is pleased to announce the call for nominations
for the 2012 Tobacco Industry Documents
Awards. The awards are comprised of the
Sybil G. Jacobs Award for Outstanding Use
of Tobacco Industry Documents and the
Christine O. Gregoire Youth/Young Adult
Award for Outstanding Use of Tobacco Industry
Documents (for individuals 24 years of
age or younger).
These
awards recognize individuals who have made a
significant and well-recognized contribution to
the health of the public in the recent past
through use of tobacco documents. The awards honor
innovation in the use and application of tobacco
industry documents to further the goals of tobacco
prevention and control in order to help build a
world where young people reject tobacco and anyone
can quit. Those nominated should be individuals
who have made a notable impact through innovative
use of tobacco industry documents as applied to
research, policy, or advocacy.
These
awards will be presented at the National
Conference on Tobacco or Health to be held August
15-17, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri.
To
submit a nomination and for more information,
please visit
http://www.legacyforhealth.org/awards?utm_source=Jan%2FFeb+eNews+2012&utm_campaign=Legacy+eNews-Winter+2012&utm_medium=archive.
DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS - Friday,
March 30, 2012.
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Vote
for truth® and Save Lives
Citgo's
Fueling Good initiative rewards organizations that
are giving back to their community, by giving away
gas prizes. Help fuel the iconic orange truth
summer tour truck by voting now for the truth
campaign! Each summer, the truth tour
reaches thousands of teens with life-saving
information about tobacco use - making stops at
concerts, sporting events and other activities
popular with teens. The truck, the truth zone and
a crew of tour riders are all part of the tour -
educating teens through one-on-one interactions,
games and activities.
Vote
now and vote every day through Thursday, February
9, and share this link with your friends and
colleagues.
Vote
here today.
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Sending
Love and a Legacy of Longer, Healthier Lives this
Valentine's Day
You
can send a special valentine this year and support
Legacy at the same time, through a new program at
iGiveCards.com. When you order
cards through the iGive site, iGive Cards
will not only mail them out for you, but also give
Legacy a donation of 40 cents for every card
ordered.
With
iGiveCards you can personalize your
cards and choose from hundreds of templates, fonts
and formats as well as add your own pictures and
personal messages this Valentine's Day and beyond.
Just set up a personal online calendar with
birthdays, holidays, and important events, and
choose and personalize your cards in advance.
iGiveCards will mail them out for you when you
schedule the cards to coincide with special dates
in your life.
Visit
iGiveCards.com/Legacy to register
today.
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Legacy
in the News
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