THE ROAD TO WELLNESS Driving Tobacco And Cancer Off The Map A Newspaper In Education Supplement To The Washington Times This educational supplement was developed by the Geographic Health Equity Alliance, a national network managed by Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). Introduction The tobacco use epidemic in our country If you don’t smoke or use any kind of is still a major public health issue. However, tobacco, congratulations! Quitting smoking we are making progress! or never starting in the first place is one of In 1997, 36.4 percent of high school stu- the most important health-related deci- dents smoked cigarettes—more than one sions you can make for yourself and those in three. Today, that number is slashed in around you. Many smokers will advise you half, with only 15.7 percent of high school not to start because they already wish they students smoking. Adult cigarette smok- never had become addicted to nicotine. ing rates have also fallen — from about 43 They know how hard it is to quit. You will percent (1965) to about 18 percent today. meet some of those people in this supple- That is a welcome improvement. However, ment. the U.S. Surgeon General, the “top doc- Here’s something else to consider. It turns tor” who watches out for the health of all out that where you live can directly impact Americans, released the 32nd Surgeon and affect your quality of health and life. In General’s Report (SGR) in January of 2014 fact, people who live in certain places are marking the 50th Anniversary of the first less likely to get cancer than those who live All places are not created equal, so the health of people in all places is not equal. How did report warning of health hazards related to in other places. Where you live will either your state rate on this “deaths from all cancers” map? The numbers are deaths per 100,000 smoking. It showed that there is still a long help or hinder your choices and what you residents. The darker the color, the higher the rate. way to go. The report reveals that 5.6 mil- are exposed to on a daily basis. Factors such Source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2010 Incidence and Mortal- ity Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control lion of today’s children will die at an early as your community’s employment rate, the and Prevention and National Cancer Institute; 2013. Available at: www.cdc.gov/uscs age if current smoking rates are not further amount of environmental pollution, access reduced. to health information and healthcare, how understand how tobacco use can harm community. In addition to reading, you Smoking tobacco does not only cause much “green area” there is in your town, your health and can cause several types will be encouraged to watch videos, do lung cancer, smoking effects nearly every and even how close you live to a supermar- of cancer, in addition to other chronic your own detective work, and use social organ in the body. Cigarette smoke contains ket that sells fresh fruits and vegetables can diseases and conditions. It will also help media to help spread the word about more than 7,000 chemicals. In addition, all affect wellness. These factors are called you understand that where you live can what you learn. Working with others, there is no risk-free level of exposure to “social determinants of health.” In other impact cancer risk. You will learn how you can help make your community a secondhand smoke. In fact, the SGR shows words, they are social conditions in your you and your friends, teachers, parents healthier, tobacco-free place. that since 1964, 2.5 million non-smokers community, county or state that affect your and neighbors can help reduce tobacco have died from secondhand smoke. health. This supplement will help you use and improve the wellness of your Source: 2014 Surgeon General’s Report MES i YOU(th) and Tobacco: and 98 percent start smoking by the age of 26. Many NGTON T NGTON i think they will just use tobacco occasionally, but SH The 2014 Surgeon General’s Report 2,100 youth and young adults who are occasional WA smokers become daily smokers each day. Accord- ing to the National YRBS, current cigarette smoking The very first Surgeon General’s Report on among students is at an all-time low in 2013 with TO THE TO tobacco was published in 1964 with a key finding: less than one in five high school students smoking smoking causes lung cancer in males. Females (16.4 percent males, 15 percent females). The defini- EMENT were not part of the study then. Each report that tion for current tobacco use included only cigarettes, ppl has been published since then has revealed more cigars, and smokeless tobacco, thus yielding slightly SU information about tobacco’s relationship to cancer lower estimates of current tobacco use. (Source: ON i and other diseases. By 2004, the report had firmly T www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/50-years- ca established that smoking affects nearly every U of-progress/full-report.pdf, Chapter 13, Table 13.2) d organ of the body. E You may have heard people say, “Yeah, I smoke (or N The 2012 Surgeon General’s Report on Smok- i dip), but I can quit any time I want.” Unfortunately, ER ing and Health is titled Preventing Tobacco Use the addictive effects of nicotine are very powerful, Among Youth and Young Adults. This report pap and that is why those who think they will be able S provided important information about the causes w to use tobacco “just once in a while” do not neces- E and the consequences of tobacco use among N sarily succeed. The 2012 Surgeon General’s Report Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention A | youth and young adults by focusing on the social, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/ states that because most high school smokers are environmental, advertising, and marketing influ- infographics/index.htm not able to break free from the powerful, addicting ences that encourage youth and young adults to effects of nicotine, about three out of four will smoke initiate and sustain tobacco use. This report was the about tobacco use by teens and young adults, along in adulthood. Among those who persist in smoking, first time tobacco data on young adults as a discrete with many other new findings. It also stressed the one third will die about 13 years earlier than their population was explored in detail. The report also importance of finding ways to stop the tobacco epi- nonsmoking peers. highlighted successful strategies to prevent young demic in America and to increase our life expectancy. In 2012, 6.7 percent of middle school and 23.3 per- people from using tobacco. It also talked about the In this section you’ll find some basic information from cent of high school students currently used tobacco ways in which laws were passed to prevent youth the most recent Surgeon General’s Report that was products, including cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, snus, from smoking – such as banning flavoring in ciga- published in 2014. smokeless tobacco, pipes, bidis, dissolvable tobacco, rettes and the sale of individual ones – as well as the Most people who smoke cigarettes or use smoke- and electronic cigarettes. impact of tobacco ads on youth. The 2014 Surgeon THURSday • NOVEMBER 20 • 2014 • NOVEMBER THURSday less tobacco started as teens or young adults. In fact, 2 General’s Report followed up with more information nearly 9 out of 10 smokers start before the age of 18 Smoking and Disease: No Waiting in This Line Most teens that start using tobacco peatedly breathing tobacco smoke can do not look toward the future. Long- cause a mixture of scar tissue and fats term health consequences seem so to build up inside blood vessels. This far down the road that it seems like it plaque makes blood vessels narrow and doesn’t matter. It turns out they’re not limits blood flow.” that far away. The 2014 Surgeon General’s report • Smaller lungs that don’t function tells us that smokers don’t have to wait normally. This can cause wheezing and for tobacco use to begin harming their asthma right now and sets the stage for health. Today’s cigarette smoke con- emphysema and COPD later in life. tains more than 7,000 chemicals and SGR 2012: “Young people are still chemical compounds. Many of these growing. Their lungs don’t reach full are so toxic that they can cause im- size until late teens for girls and after mediate damage to the human body. age 20 for boys. Adults who smoked Even young adults can develop health during adolescence can have lungs that problems that are related to smoking, never grow to their potential size and such as: never perform at full capacity.” This means that young people who Early cardiovascular are on sports teams or who simply [heart] disease: enjoy running or working out will be • The 2012 SGR: “New research shows short of breath and experience reduced that smoking during adolescence and performance if they smoke. young adulthood causes early damage to the abdominal aorta, the large artery • DNA damage that can cause cancer that carries oxygen-rich blood from the almost anywhere in the body. heart through the abdomen to major organs. Even young adults who have On average, lifelong smokers become sicker faster and die an average of 13 only been smoking for a few years can a show signs of narrowing of this large years younger than nonsmokers.