Practice, Research and Partnerships: Threading It All Together to Achieve Health Equity. Register here.
Public Community College Grants
April 29 – Proposals Due
Truth Initiative is accepting grant applications from public community colleges to support efforts to advocate for, adopt, and implement a 100% smoke and tobacco-free policy. Applications available here.
The National Reduce Tobacco Use Conference sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. Learn more here.
Emerging Science in State and Community Tobacco Control Policy and Practice
May 4 | Washington D.C.
Lead investigators address critical gaps in state and community tobacco control, such as secondhand smoke policies and mass media strategies. Attend free via live stream. Registration required.
Register Today for Tobacco Free Nebraska State Conference
The Tobacco Free Nebraska State Conference will be held on April 21 at the Cornhusker Marriott, 333 South 13th St. in Lincoln. Session topics and speakers include: Social Determinants of Health Related to Tobacco; speakers Keith Vensey from the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and Dee Calhoun from the SelfMade Health Network; and Point of Sale Advertising and Its Effect on Tobacco Control; speaker Mo Siahpush from UNMC College of Public Health.
Registration through Health Education, Inc. is $65 per person, including lunch and snacks for the day. Conference begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 3:30 p.m. Registration deadline is April 18.
“truth” Campaign Features Secondhand Smoke and Pets
The latest “truth” campaign features these popular videos that highlight the dangers of secondhand smoke for pets. #FinishIt is a related theme, encouraging this generation of youth to be the last generation impacted by tobacco, encouraging a further reduction in youth tobacco use.
March is NationalColorectal Cancer Awareness Month
One of every three cancer deaths in the United States is linked to smoking. The 2014 Surgeon General’s Report (SGR) identified two additional cancers that are linked to smoking: cancer of the colon and of the rectum (also called colorectal cancer) and liver cancer. Colorectal cancer causes the second largest number of cancer deaths each year, behind only lung cancer, and is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States.
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ Stay in the Game program provides colon cancer screening for income-eligible men and women over age 50 throughout the state.
California Legislature Votes to Raise Tobacco Age to 21
On March 10, the California Legislature took historic action by voting to increase the age of sale for tobacco products to 21. The measure is currently awaiting Governor Jerry Brown’s signature.
At the beginning of March, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors took action to prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21. This action makes San Francisco the second largest city in the country, after New York, to raise the age of sale for tobacco products to 21. To date, the state of Hawaii and over 135 cities and counties in nine states have raised the tobacco sale age to 21.
Updated STATE System Fact Sheets Released by CDC
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health recently released updated fact sheets in its State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System database.
The fact sheets cover smoke-free indoor air laws, state excise taxes on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, state laws and case law on preemption, multi-unit housing fact sheet, e-cigarette laws and more. The fact sheets are current through September 30, 2015 and available in PDF. To explore the CDC STATE System Fact Sheet collection, click here.
CDC has also updated the Prevention Status Reports’ website. State-level reports highlight the status of policies and practices designed to address ten important health problems and concerns; including tobacco use. The updated website includes an interactive map, State Summary tables, and a National Summary. Nebraska’s reports can be viewed here.
Women’s History Month:
Women and Smoking
In the last 50 years, a woman’s risk of dying from smoking has more than tripled and is now equal to men’s risk. The U.S. has more than 20 million women and girls who currently smoke cigarettes, putting them at risk for heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and other serious chronic illnesses. Today, more women die from lung cancer than breast cancer.
Many of the findings in the 2014 Surgeon General’s Report are especially important for women who smoke. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fact sheet on Women and Smoking is available for anyone interested in information on how smoking affects women’s health.
How to Conduct Store Observations of Tobacco Marketing and Products
An article entitled, “How to Conduct Store Observations of Tobacco Marketing and Products,” published in the February 18 issue of Preventing Chronic Disease, provides detailed steps for public health practitioners conducting store observations of tobacco marketing and products including 1) obtaining tobacco product retailer lists, 2) creating measures, 3) selecting a mode of data collection, 4) training data collectors, and 5) analyzing data. The article also highlights issues that may arise while in the field and provides information on disseminating results of store observations, including the potential policy implications.
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