Today is World No Tobacco Day – Learn about Tobacco’s Toll

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Today is World No Tobacco Day!  Here’s some information to get you started….Did you know that:

  • Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, imposing a huge toll on health, lives and dollars on families, businesses and government.
  • Tobacco kills more than 400,000 people annually – more than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined.
  • Tobacco costs the U.S. more than $96 billion in health care expenditures and $97 billion in lost productivity each year.
  • While the United States has made major progress against tobacco use, one in five Americans still smokes, and about 4,000 kids try their first cigarette each day.

Now let’s take it to Nebraska….Here’s some data to get you thinking about the consequences of tobacco right here in our state.

High school students who smoke 15.0% (15,400)
Male high school students who use smokeless or spit tobacco 10.2% (females use much lower)
Kids (under 18) who become new daily smokers each year 2,000
Kids exposed to secondhand smoke at home 96,000
Packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by kids each year 3.5 million
Adults in Nebraska who smoke 17.2% (235,100)

 

Adults who die each year from their own smoking 2,200
Kids now under 18 and alive in Nebraska who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking 36,000
Annual health care costs in Nebraska directly caused by smoking $537 million
Portion covered by the state Medicaid program $134 million
Residents’ state & federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures $573 per household
Smoking-caused productivity losses in Nebraska $500 million
Annual tobacco industry marketing expenditures nationwide $10.5 billion
Estimated portion spent for Nebraska marketing each year $66.5 million

What do you think about this?  Leave us a comment or Tweet us @UNMCCRHD using hashtag #WNTD2012. 

Source: The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/facts_issues/toll_us/

World No Tobacco Day – May 31

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World No Tobacco Day, celebrated each year on May 31, unites people, governments and civil society for action against the harms to health of tobacco use. Every year a theme is picked and this year’s theme centers around the tobacco industy’s deceptive and aggressive tactics.

Tobacco use is one of the leading preventable causes of death. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global tobacco epidemic kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which more than 600,000 are people exposed to second-hand smoke. Unless we act, it will kill up to 8 million people by 2030, of which more than 80% will live in low- and middle-income countries.

This year as part of our World No Tobacco Day activities, the Center will be doing an online media project to inform and engage the public on the dangers of tobacco and the tobacco industry’s tactics.  We hope that you will join us for this day of action by participating in the online dialogue on our Facebook page, Twitter, and of course right here on our Blog.  Become a fan of our Facebook page.  Follow us on Twitter and engage with us using the hashtag: #WNTD2012!

Education at home … YES with Smoke-Free In-Home Visits!

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On March 16, April 24 and April 27, the Center and participants of the Latinas, Tabaco & Cáncer (LTC) group hosted “Smoke-Free Home” visits. These in-home visits consisted of an educational presentation on tobacco related issues, information regarding smoke-free housing, as well as information on the prevention of cigarette-related fires.  LTC participants attended the meetings with neighbors and friends that for the first time were able to get information on the dangers of tobacco and second-hand smoke in their language. One the attendees stated that she had never thought of these issues before she attended these meetings.

Within the metro Omaha area, cigarettes that have not been properly disposed have been the cause of several recent house and apartment fires. It is our mission to educate families about the risks of living in a home or apartment that is not that is not yet 100% smoke-free.

We would be happy to work with you and other tenants of multiunit housing to ensure that your buildings are smoke-free.  If you would like to schedule a smoke-free in-home visit, please contact us at (402) 559-9660.

The UNMC Center for Reducing Health Disparities is a member of the Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition (MOTAC).  For more information on MOTAC, please visit their website: www.motac.org.

 

Improve Your Health in 2012

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It’s new year’s resolution time again and here are some tips on improving your health in 2012.

1.  Manage stress better.

Stress can kill.  The first step in successful stress management is identifying your stress triggers. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Some causes of stress are obvious — job pressures, relationship problems or financial difficulties. But daily hassles and demands, such as commuting, arranging day care or being overcommitted at work, can also contribute to your stress level. Positive events also can be stressful. If you got married, started a new job and bought a new house in the same year, you could have a high stress level. While negative events in general are more stressful, be sure to also assess positive changes in your life.”  When you have identified your stress triggers, you can brainstorm strategies for dealing with them including using relaxation techniques. Practicing relaxation techniques can reduce stress symptoms by:

  • Slowing your heart rate
  • Lowering blood pressure
  • Slowing your breathing rate
  • Increasing blood flow to major muscles
  • Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
  • Improving concentration
  • Reducing anger and frustration
  • Boosting confidence to handle problems

To get the most benefit, use relaxation techniques along with other coping methods, such as exercising, getting enough sleep, and reaching out to supportive family and friends.

2.  Eat more fruits and vegetables.

According to www.myplate.gov, half of your plate at every meal should consist of fruits and vegetables.  Choose red, orange, and dark-green vegetables like tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and broccoli, along with other vegetables for your meals. Add fruit to meals as part of main or side dishes or as dessert.

3. Get enough sleep.

Research shows that you’re more likely to succeed at your tasks—and enjoy greater well-being—if you get some serious shuteye.  Experts suggest that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep a night.  Below are some tips from the National Sleep Foundation:

  • Set a regular bedtime. Your body craves consistency, plus you’re more likely to get enough sleep if you schedule rest like your other important tasks.
  • De-caffeinate yourself. Drinking caffeine to stay awake during the day can keep you up at night. Try resisting the coffee and colas starting six to eight hours before bed.
  • De-stress yourself. Relax by taking a hot bath, meditating or envisioning a soothing scene while lying in bed. Turn off daytime worries by finishing any next-day preparations about an hour before bed.
  • Exercise. Working out can improve sleep in lots of ways, including by relieving muscle tension. Don’t work out right before bed, though, since exercise may make you more alert. If you like, try gentle upper-body stretches to help transition into sleep.
  • Make your bed a sleep haven. No paying bills or writing reports in bed. Also, if you can’t fall asleep after 15 minutes you can try some soothing music, but if you remain alert experts recommend getting up until you feel more tired.

4.  Get active.  Watch less TV and surf less internet.

Adults should do 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, or 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity. Aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, preferably spread throughout the week.

5.  Stop smoking.

Smoking takes years off of your life and is bad for not just the smoker, but all those around the smoker.  For assistance quitting smoking, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or our Center offers smoking cessation counselling for those who need additional assistance.  Contact us at (402) 559-9660. Check out the new smoke-free counter and calculator at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/SmokeFreeNE.

Celebrate World Breast Feeding Week: August 1-7, 2011

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One of the most highly effective preventive measures a mother can take to protect the health of her infant and herself is to breastfeed. However, in the U.S., while 75 percent of mothers start out breastfeeding, only 13 percent of babies are exclusively breastfed at the end of six months. Additionally, rates are significantly lower for African-American infants.

The decision to breastfeed is a personal one, and a mother should not be made to feel guilty if she cannot or chooses not to breastfeed. The success rate among mothers who want to breastfeed can be greatly improved through active support from their families, friends, communities, clinicians, health care leaders, employers and policymakers.

Given the importance of breastfeeding for the health and well-being of mothers and children, it is critical that we take action across the country to support breastfeeding.  Through the technical assistance of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), all 50 states have now formed breastfeeding coalitions, and there are many local, tribal, and territorial coalitions as well. These coalitions mobilize local and state efforts to promote and support breastfeeding.

Below are the 20 key actions identified by the U.S. Surgeon General to improve support for breastfeeding:

 Actions for Mothers and Their Families:

1. Give mothers the support they need to breastfeed their babies.

2. Develop programs to educate fathers and grandmothers about breastfeeding.

Actions for Communities:

3. Strengthen programs that provide mother-to-mother support and peer counseling.

4. Use community-based organizations to promote and support breastfeeding.

5. Create a national campaign to promote breastfeeding.

6. Ensure that the marketing of infant formula is conducted in a way that minimizes its negative impacts on exclusive breastfeeding.

Actions for Health Care:

7. Ensure that maternity care practices around the United States are fully supportive of breastfeeding.

8. Develop systems to guarantee continuity of skilled support for lactation between hospitals and health care settings in the community.

9. Provide education and training in breastfeeding for all health professionals who care for women and children.

10. Include basic support for breastfeeding as a standard of care for midwives, obstetricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, and pediatricians.

11. Ensure access to services provided by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants.

12. Identify and address obstacles to greater availability of safe banked donor milk for fragile infants.

Actions for Employment:

13. Work toward establishing paid maternity leave for all employed mothers.

14. Ensure that employers establish and maintain comprehensive, high-quality lactation support programs for their employees.

15. Expand the use of programs in the workplace that allow lactating mothers to have direct access to their babies.

16. Ensure that all child care providers accommodate the needs of breastfeeding mothers and infants.

Actions for Research and Surveillance:

17. Increase funding of high-quality research on breastfeeding.

18. Strengthen existing capacity and develop future capacity for conducting research on breastfeeding.

19. Develop a national monitoring system to improve the tracking of breastfeeding rates as well as the policies and environmental factors that affect breastfeeding.

Action for Public Health Infrastructure:

20. Improve national leadership on the promotion and support of breastfeeding.

 

SOURCE:  The U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding:  Accessed at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/breastfeeding/executivesummary.pdf (2011)