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New Surgeon General's Report Provides Strategies for Halving U.S. Smoking
Rates by Year 2010
Surgeon General David Satcher announced today that smoking rates among
teens and adults could be cut in half within the decade if the nation
would fully implement anti-smoking programs using effective approaches
that are already available.
The announcement came during a news conference at the
11th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Chicago, where
Dr. Satcher released the Surgeon General’s report on "Reducing
Tobacco Use." It is the first-ever report to provide an in-depth
analysis of the effectiveness of various methods to reduce tobacco use --
educational, clinical, regulatory, economic, and social.
During the past four decades we have made unprecedented
gains in preventing and controlling tobacco use," Dr. Satcher said.
"However, the sobering reality is that smoking remains the leading
cause of preventable death and disease in our nation, and those who suffer
the most are poor Americans, minority populations, and young people.
Although our knowledge remains imperfect, we know more than enough to
address the tobacco control challenges of the 21st
century."
Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala
noted, "This report of the Surgeon General comes at a critical moment
in the rapidly changing landscape of tobacco control, both nationally and
globally. It offers a science-based blueprint for achieving our
Healthy
People 2010 objectives to reduce tobacco use and its health impact in
this country. We must now work to commit the resources necessary to put
this blueprint into action."
The report calls for the widespread use of approaches
and methods, especially in combination, that have proven to be effective
in substantially reducing the number of people who will become addicted to
nicotine:- increasing the success rate of young people and adults trying
to quit tobacco use; decreasing nonsmokers’ exposure to environmental
tobacco smoke; reducing disparities related to tobacco use and its health
effects among different population groups; and decreasing the future
health burden of tobacco-related disease and death.
Although the report was developed by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention primarily to guide decisions about
effective tobacco control programs in the United States, the report’s
analyses and findings have clear application globally.
"We estimate that the number of smoking-related
deaths worldwide will rise to 10 million per year by 2030, with 70 percent
of these deaths occurring in developing countries," CDC Director Dr.
Jeffrey P. Koplan said. "The CDC is committed to working side-by-side
with other nations and international organizations, such as the World
Health Organization, to create a coordinated effort to curb the global
epidemic of tobacco-related disease. This report can be an important tool
in supporting this global health initiative."
Key actions that Dr. Satcher outlined to reduce tobacco
use, supported by evidence in the report, include:
- Implementing effective school-based programs, combined with
community and media-based activities, which can prevent or postpone
smoking onset in 20 to 40 percent of U.S. adolescents.
Unfortunately, fewer than 5 percent of schools nationwide are
implementing the major components of school guidelines recommended
by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
- Changing physician behavior, medical system procedures, and
insurance coverage to encourage widespread use of state-of-the-art
treatment of nicotine addiction. The report shows that brief
physician advice to quit smoking can double or quadruple normal quit
rates, while a combination of behavioral counseling and
pharmacological treatment can boost success up to 10 times.
- Passing and enforcing strong clean indoor air regulations, which
contribute to changing social norms and may decrease tobacco
consumption among smokers and increase smoking cessation. The report
calls on states to pass laws that will not restrict local
governments from passing even stronger measures to protect their
citizens from secondhand smoke.
- Improving tobacco warning labels in the U.S., which are weaker and
less prominent than those required in other countries such as Canada
and Australia. The report shows that consumers receive very little
information regarding the ingredients, additives, and potential
toxicity of tobacco products.
- Increasing tobacco prices and excise taxes. Evidence presented in
the report suggests that a 10 percent increase in price will reduce
overall cigarette consumption by 3 to 5 percent. However, both the
average price of cigarettes and the average cigarette excise tax in
the United States are well below those in most other industrialized
countries.
- Changing many facets of the social environment to reduce the broad
cultural acceptability of tobacco use. The report concludes that
comprehensive approaches combining community interventions, mass media
campaigns, and program policy and regulation are most effective in
changing social norms and reducing tobacco use.
"Failure to effectively use every intervention
strategy at our disposal could mean turning back the clock on the efforts
we’ve made since the 1960s to reduce cigarette smoking, one of the most
notable public health accomplishments of this century," Dr. Satcher
said. "We must respond aggressively to the serious challenges we
still face: most importantly, the tobacco industry’s continuing campaign
to advertise and promote tobacco products. We need fair but aggressive
measures to regulate these marketing activities, especially those that
influence young people." He noted that the industry spent $6.7
billion in 1998 or more than $18 million a day to market cigarettes,
despite the overwhelming evidence of the harm they cause.
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Note: Audio of Surgeon General Satcher discussing
Healthy People 2010 is available on the Internet at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/broadcast/20000809.wav.
A detailed summary of the Surgeon General’s report, "Reducing
Tobacco Use," and other related information is available on the CDC’s
web site: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr_tobacco_use.htm
Copies of the Executive Summary and the report’s "At A Glance"
can also be ordered via fax by calling 1-800-CDC-1311 or by writing the
CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, Mail Stop K-50, 4770 Buford Highway,
Atlanta, Georgia 30341.
The U.S.
Surgeon General’s video news release
(VNR) will be fed from 2:00-2:30
p.m.,
E.S.T., Wednesday, August 9th at Telstar 4(C-Band), Transponder 1,
Dual Audio 6.2/6.8. The VNR also will be available on the CDC’s Office
on Smoking and Health’s web site http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco
after 2:00 p.m.,
E.S.T.
SGR
2000 Report
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