TFN E-News Update / June 9, 2021 - Answers About Tobacco

Adult Tobacco Survey 2020 Now Available Online

The Adult Tobacco Survey (ATS) report for 2020 is now available on the Nebraska DHHS Reports and Statistics webpage and the Tobacco Free Nebraska Understand the Burden of Tobacco webpage. ATS monitors tobacco-related issues including trends among different groups, products, and cessation efforts. The report summarizes findings from the ATS conducted in calendar year 2020.

FDA Commits to Evidence-Based Actions Aimed at Saving Lives and Preventing Smoking

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products issued a press release outlining its plan for evidence-based tobacco control actions. Efforts to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars build on a previous flavor ban and mark significant steps to reduce addiction and youth use, improve quitting and address health disparities.

Resources to help inform messaging and outreach on this topic include:

Menthol Ban and Key Tobacco Industry Rebuttals – Center for Black Health & Equity
Menthol Ban: Highlighting Facts and Rebutting Tobacco Industry Misinformation – Public Health Law Center

New Best Practices User Guide: Partnerships in Tobacco Prevention and Control

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health has published a new Best Practices User Guide: Partnerships in Tobacco Prevention and Control. The user guide expands and updates the recommendations in the Best Practices User Guide: Coalitions. It includes guidance on how to find potential partners, meaningfully involve partners and work together effectively.

Study: Evaluating the Impact of the Menthol Ban in Canada

A study published in Tobacco Control evaluated the impact of the Canadian menthol ban on cessation and smoking behaviors. The study found that although menthol smokers we most likely to switch to non-menthol cigarettes, the menthol ban was also significantly associated with higher rates of quit attempts and quit success among menthol smokers. This may have helped to prevent relapse among menthol smokers who had quit smoking before the ban.

New Data: National E-Cigarette Unit Sales Hit Record in 2021

New data from the CDC Foundation of monthly e-cigarette unit sales from January 2017 to March 2021 show that sales have now exceeded pre-EVALI outbreak levels. Findings also show market shares of disposable e-cigarette and menthol-flavored prefilled cartridges significantly increased in 2020. More information is available on the Monitoring E-Cigarette Use Among Youth page.

Resources for National Healthy Home’s Month in June

Tips From Former Smokers®: Jessica – Secondhand Smoke & Asthma

Exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger a life-threatening asthma attack. This TV ad, from CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers® campaign, features Jessica, a mother with a young son who suffers from asthma attacks due to secondhand smoke exposure. In her tip, she urges people not to be shy to tell people not to smoke around kids.

Free National Healthy Home’s Month 2021 Outreach Toolkit

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has released a toolkit to support outreach for National Healthy Homes Month. Throughout June, HUD spotlights different health-related hazards and topics relevant to a range of housing types. The National Healthy Homes Month 2021 theme is, “the power of partnerships.” It highlights the vital role partnerships play in healthy homes.

Webinar: Partnering to Close the Gaps in Smoke-Free Homes Protections on June 15

A healthy home is a smoke-free home, free of the serious harm caused by secondhand smoke. Unfortunately, the home is still the main source of secondhand smoke for millions of people in the United States. In fact, housing is the leading source of secondhand smoke exposure for children. Those living in multi-unit housing are less likely to enjoy smoke-free protections. CDC is partnering with HUD on a webinar on this topic. Register here.

Examining the Cost-Effectiveness of a Smoking Cessation Intervention for Parents in Pediatric Primary Care

Parental smoking has adverse affects on both the parents’ and children’s health. An abstract published by JAMA noted there are effective interventions delivered in pediatric settings to help parents quit smoking, but the over-all cost effectiveness was not known. This study takes a closer look at the cost-effectiveness of exposures, main outcomes and measures.

Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids to Host Virtual Symposium

Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids has opened up registration for their Virtual Advocacy Symposium. The three-session event is designed to teach young people ages 13-24 about tobacco advocacy and creating positive change in their community.