National Working Group for ACTTION
(Access to Coverage of Tobacco Treatment In Our Nation)
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Tobacco Cessation in the News
A Statewide Contest Encourages Hoosiers to Kick Their Smoking Habit
August 5, 2010 - Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation (ITPC) has collaborated with INShape Indiana and the Indiana State Department of Health to develop the Quit Now Indiana Contest. This contest is designed for any Indiana resident, eighteen years or older, who regularly smokes. Participants are encouraged to quit smoking for thirty days, from September 1st to September 30th. Those who successfully abstain from smoking for the thirty days will have the chance of winning one of three prizes: $2,500, $1,500, and $1,000 courtesy of AmeriHealth Mercy of Indiana. However, the real prize is “winning better health,” as the Quit Now Indiana Contest explains. Read more.
Innovative Solutions: Using the iPhone to Help Smokers Quit
Agust 3, 2010 - In an attempt to aid the estimated seventy percent of smokers who want to quit, Legacy and the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation have partnered with Apperian Inc. to develop an iPhone application, EX®, which makes their “Become an EX” quit smoking program available on the go and when smokers need it the most. The EX plan helps smokers who want to quit “re-learn” their lives without cigarettes. Legacy used scientific research from the Mayo Clinic as well as the experiences of ex-smokers to develop this smoking cessation program. Read more.
Motivational Interviewing: An Effective Approach to Smoking Cessation
August 2, 2010 - A recent review published in Tobacco Control, “Efficacy of Motivational Interviewing for Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” assessed the effects of motivational interviewing for smoking cessation. Read more.
Making Smoking-Cessation Counseling a “Norm” for Oral Care Professionals
July 29, 2010 - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME), and North American Center for Continuing Medical Education (NACCME) are taking action after a survey of U.S. dentists on smoking cessation counseling produced far from ideal outcomes. Read more.
Thoracic Surgeons Use “Teachable Moments” to Help Smokers Quit
July 27, 2010 - A smoking cessation intervention performed by University of Virginia Health System thoracic surgeons has resulted in impressive quit rates. Patient visits to the hospital before and after smoking-related surgery serve as a “teachable moment” for encouraging smokers to quit. Yet, few thoracic surgeons, who often treat smokers for smoking-related illnesses such as lung cancer, emphysema, and coronary artery disease, actually engage in these interventions. At the University of Virginia, thoracic surgeons were trained in smoking cessation counseling and used this training to provide interventions, or “teachable moments,” during pre- and post-surgery office visits. Read more.
A Culturally Tailored Tobacco Cessation Program: Helping LGBT Members “Call It Quits”
July 22, 2010 - Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community typically have much higher smoking rates than non-LGBT people, with LGBT individuals having a 40 to 70 percent greater risk of smoking. However, many smoking cessation programs fail to address the various cultural and social factors that contribute to the higher smoking prevalence among the LGBT community, such as “higher levels of stress and discrimination, frequent patronage of bars and clubs, and higher rates of drug and alcohol use.” The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota’s Stop-Smoking Program has been working to address these issues by providing culturally tailored tobacco cessation support to the LGBT community of Minnesota, where 41 percent of adult LGBT members smoke compared to the state rate of 17.6 percent. Read more.
Saving Lives and Money - Helping People on Medicaid Quit Tobacco
July 16, 2010 - Partnership for Prevention’s ActionToQuit program has released a comprehensive state-by-state analysis of Medicaid coverage of tobacco cessation. Prepared in collaboration with the American Lung Association, Saving Lives and Money – Helping People on Medicaid Quit Tobacco provides clear guidance to states on necessary steps to provide a comprehensive cessation benefit in accordance with recommendations of the United States Public Health Service. With the recent passage of health reform (Affordable Care Act) which requires that all state Medicaid programs provide comprehensive tobacco cessation care to pregnant women, this is a unique opportunity for states to go farther and expand coverage for the entire Medicaid population. Read more.
Electronic Health Records
July 15, 2010 - In 2009, the Obama administration and Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) to increase the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR’s). Read more.
Raising Prices May Increase Youth Smoking Cessation
July 9, 2010 - Results from a recently published study in Health Policy, “State-Level Tobacco Control Policies and Youth Smoking Cessation Measures,” found evidence to suggest that increasing cigarette pricing encourages smoking cessation-related behaviors among youth smokers. Such evidence has major implications for future health policy, suggesting that tax increases on tobacco products should play a major role in our tobacco control policy since these both decrease smoking prevalence and increase smoking cessation among youth. Read more.
Study Debunks Claim that Smoking is an Effective Stress Management Tool
July 8, 2010 - Many smokers claim that smoking helps relieve them of stress and fear that quitting will increase their stress level by eliminating this source of stress relief. “The Effect of Stopping Smoking on Perceived Stress Level,” which was a study recently published in Addiction, supports that using smoking as a stress management tool may not be as effective as many smokers perceive it to be. Read more.
Coverage of Call for ACTTION/Working Group
Letter to Senator Tom Harkin
Jan. 30, 2009 - Letter from Partnership for Prevention regarding preservation of funding for tobacco cessation programs in proposed economic stimulus bill
Report Calls for Greater Access to Smoking-Cessation Programs
Dec. 15, 2008 - American Medical News
Mr. Obama's Struggle With Smoking
Nov. 28, 2008 - Washington Post, Letter-to-the-Editor from Corinne Husten
Smokers Could Be Quitters by 2020
Nov. 19, 2008 - MarketWatch.com via Medill News Service
Other Relevant News
Congress Plans Incentives for Healthy Habits
May 10, 2009 - New York Times
Experts in Government, Public Health, Public Policy and Science Outline Blueprint for Reducing Death and Disease From Tobacco in the United States
Feb 25, 2009 - MarketWatch
The Tobacco Paradox
Feb. 21, 2009 - National Journal
Walmart Offers $9 Smoking Cessation Starter Pack
Jan. 15, 2009 - Walmart Press Release
Remove the Barriers from Tobacco Cessation
Jan. 5, 2009 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution, opinion editorial by local tobacco cessation expert
In The News RSS
- Sep 02, 2010
Delayed Quitters
Read the full story - Aug 30, 2010
Expanding Coverage: Medicare Offers New Tobacco Cessation Counseling Benefit
Read the full story - Aug 27, 2010
The E-Cigarette Debate Continues – Drug Delivery Device or Alternative to Cigarettes?
Read the full story - Aug 26, 2010
New Cigarette Tests May Customize Quitting
Read the full story
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Key Dates RSS
- November 12-13, 2010: Treating Tobacco Dependence in Mental Health Settings
- November 6-10, 2010: American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
- October 30-4, 2010: American College of Chest Physicians: Chest 2010
- October 28-28, 2010: Multi-State Collaborative for Health Systems Change 2010 Conference
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