Local Video
|
| Survey on smoking shows gains |
By: SAM GETT, Publisher and Editor
|
Posted: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 10:52 pm
|
 Email  Print
|
It has been nearly a year since Minnesota’s Freedom to Breathe Act took effect and, regardless of one’s stance on the dangers of second-hand smoke, it sure is nice to patronize bars and restaurants without smelling like an ashtray.
Saturday night visitors at this year’s Defeat of Jesse James Days festival got a taste of the old days when rains forced the crowd to seek refuge under the beer tent, where smoking is still allowed and the air quality reflected it.
Minnesota works aggressively to reduce the smoking rates of its citizenry. Of course, it helps to have a couple hundred million dollars to fund the cause. ClearWay Minnesota was created 10 years ago when the Ramsey County District Court set aside $202 million of the massive $6.2 billion legal settlement with the tobacco companies. Since then, ClearWay has engaged in research, marketing and cessation services designed to reduce and control tobacco use.
Representatives from ClearWay stopped by our office last week to share survey results and success stories. Their data comes from the 2007 Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey, a collaboration of ClearWay, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and the state’s Department of Health. Previous surveys were completed in 1999 and 2003.
Most impressively, Minnesota’s adult smoking rate dropped five points from 22 percent to 17 percent in the last eight years. Translated into real numbers, that means 164,000 fewer smokers in the state compared to 1999. The national average remains at about 20 percent.
Smoking rates among young adults are traditionally higher and, despite significant progress, that continues to be the case. The percentage of 18–24-year-old smokers fell eight points between surveys, from 36 percent to 28 percent. A reduction of 42,000 smokers in that age group is promising, although it’s hard to fathom that despite all the health warnings and the overwhelming evidence of the dangers, nearly one in three young adults still lights up.
Indeed, survey results suggest that 634,000 adults in the state continue to smoke. Those with less education and lower incomes smoke at higher rates; there was no reduction in the smoking rate among young adults who don’t attend college. More than half of the smokers surveyed said they tried to quit in the previous year. In fact, the number who sought counseling help to break the habit rose from 4 percent to 15 percent since 2003.
What finally motivates people to quit, or at least try? Blatant threats printed on the product haven’t done the trick. Sometimes simple economics does. A 75-cent tobacco tax implemented in 2005 pushed 1 in 4 smokers to say enough. Others cited local or state government efforts to restrict smoking as the final straw.
Of course, many people attempt to quit multiple times before finally succeeding. As an added incentive, ClearWay is now dangling cash prize opportunities in front of smokers. Those who quit before Oct. 1 could win up to $5,000 in the QuitCash challenge; visit www.quitcash.com for details.
ClearWay’s reps didn’t have data with them regarding the change in smoking rates among youth under 18. That’s the key, because as difficult as it is to quit, the best strategy for reducing tobacco use is to prevent new users from starting.
—Reach Sam Gett at 645-1112 or at sgett@northfieldnews.com
|
|
|
|
Story Comment Guidelines:
Registered members who identify themselves by name are authorized to automatically post comments to stories. Readers who wish to remain anonymous submit comments to a pending queue, where they will be reviewed for approval within 24 hours of their submission. To determine the author of a comment, click on the user name.
Those who identify themselves will be given broader boundaries to express their opinion. Only those anonymous comments that contribute to the conversation in a thoughtful, respectful, civil manner will be approved. The decision to approve or reject a comment is a subjective one and is ours alone. Authors of rejected comments will receive an email response.
If you would like to report abuse click here to notify us.
|
|
| Show Comments | Hide Comments
|
|
| Login and voice your opinion!
|
|
|
|
|
Top Jobs | Top Homes | Top Cars
09 Jetta
09 white Jetta asking $16,000
less than 48,000 miles
|
|
Digg
Del.icio.us
Facebook
MySpace
StumbleUpon
Google
Yahoo!
