New Report: States Slash Funding for Tobacco Prevention Programs to Lowest Level Since Tobacco Settlement

/PRNewswire-/ -- The states have slashed funding for programs to reduce tobacco use to the lowest level since 1999, when they first received tobacco settlement funds, according to a report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.

The states this year (Fiscal Year 2011) will collect $25.3 billion in revenue from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend only two percent of it – $517.9 million – on programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit. The states have cut funding for such programs by nine percent ($51.4 million) in the past year and by 28 percent ($199.3 million) in the past three years.

With the U.S. adult smoking rate stalled at 20.6 percent after decades of decline, the report warns that continued progress against tobacco use – the nation's number one cause of preventable death – is at risk unless states increase funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The report also calls on states to increase tobacco taxes and, for states that have yet to do so, to enact strong smoke-free laws that apply to all workplaces, restaurants and bars.

The report further calls on the federal government to robustly fund and implement the national tobacco prevention strategy unveiled last week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including launching a national media campaign to discourage kids from smoking and encourage smokers to quit.

The report, titled "A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 12 Years Later," was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. These organizations have issued annual reports assessing whether the states have kept their promise to use funds from the state tobacco settlements – estimated to total $246 billion over the first 25 years – to fight tobacco use.

"We know how to win the fight against tobacco, but we will not win it unless elected officials at all levels step up efforts to implement proven solutions," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Despite their budgetary challenges, the states are collecting huge sums from the tobacco industry and should be spending more of it to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit. Tobacco prevention is a smart investment for the states that saves lives and saves money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs."

Other findings of this year's report include:

* Most states are falling far short of meeting recommended funding levels for tobacco prevention programs set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The $517.9 million the states have budgeted amounts to just 14 percent of the $3.7 billion the CDC recommends for all the states combined.
* Counting both state funds and federal grants, only two states – Alaska and North Dakota – currently fund tobacco prevention programs at CDC-recommended levels. Only five other states provide even half the recommended funding, while 33 states and DC provide less than a quarter. Three states – Nevada, New Hampshire and Ohio – provide zero state funds for tobacco prevention this year.
* Tobacco companies spend nearly $25 to market tobacco products for every $1 the states spend to fight tobacco use. According to the latest data from the Federal Trade Commission, tobacco companies spend $12.8 billion a year on marketing.
* Federal grants, most of them temporary, have helped to cushion the impact of funding cuts in some states. In the past year, the federal government has provided $261.6 million in state and community grants specifically dedicated to reducing tobacco use (the grants are spread over three fiscal years, so not all the money will be spent in fiscal 2011).


The report comes as recent surveys have found that smoking declines in the United States have slowed and even stalled. The CDC recently reported that the adult smoking rate in 2009 was 20.6 percent – essentially unchanged since 2004 when 20.9 percent smoked. While smoking among high school students has declined by 46 percent from a high of 36.4 percent in 1997, 19.5 percent still smoke.

"We know that much of what helps us live longer, healthier lives happens outside the doctor's office," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "With progress on smoking rates stalled, it's more important than ever for states to focus on community prevention programs and policies that work – like smoke-free restaurants and workplaces and adequate funding to prevent kids from starting and to help smokers quit."

"For every step forward in curbing tobacco use among Americans, many states have taken two steps backwards," said American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown. "The public health community is appalled at the lack of commitment among a vast majority of states to adequately fund comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation programs with the settlement dollars. As tobacco companies devise new tactics to increase smoking rates among children and adults, it's more important than ever to protect Americans from the dangers of tobacco use and give smokers the necessary tools to reduce their risk for heart disease, stroke and other smoking-related illnesses."

"Fully funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs stop addiction before it starts and improve the health of our nation's communities," said John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society. "Given the record low amount that states are allocating to these important programs, they simply must do a better job at properly allocating funding that helps reduce tobacco use and protects the health of children, 4,100 of whom try their first cigarette every day."

"States have a responsibility to prevent people from starting to smoke and to ensure that all smokers have easy access to cessation treatments and services as the human and financial toll of tobacco continues to rise," said Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO. "Preventing kids from smoking and helping smokers quit saves lives and money."

Tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke kill more than 400,000 people in the United States each year and cost the nation more than $96 billion in health care bills. Every day, another 1,000 kids become regular smokers – one-third of them will die prematurely as a result.

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Is Obesity a Disease? Current Research, Facts, Figures, and the Pros and Cons at New ProCon.org Website

/PRNewswire/ -- ProCon.org, a nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit public charity dedicated to promoting critical thinking, created the new website http://www.obesity.procon.org/ to explore the core question "Is obesity a disease?"

The debate over whether or not obesity is a disease grows as obesity rates and the cost of treating obesity-related conditions increase in the United States.

Proponents stress that obesity is a disease because it is a result of genetics and biological factors, citing scientific studies that have shown a link between obesity and heredity. Certain known illnesses can also cause weight gain or obesity, including hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Opponents argue that obesity is not a disease because it is the result of a person's environment (i.e. residential location, social circle, economic status, etc.), lifestyle, and eating habits, citing other studies that show obesity is a result of environment and social networks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an "epidemic" of 72 million obese people in the United States in 2006 with 34.3% of adults considered obese (vs. 13.4% in 1962) and 32.7% considered overweight (vs. 31.5% in 1962).

In 2005 obesity accounted for an estimated 216,000 deaths (1 in 10 deaths) among U.S. adults. It was the third-leading risk factor in U.S. adult deaths, after tobacco smoking (467,000 deaths) and high blood pressure (395,000 deaths). Obesity and obesity-related health conditions cost an estimated 10% of annual medical spending in the US, totaling $147 billion in 2008.

As of Dec. 15, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO), FDA, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have all stated that obesity is a disease. The CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have not taken a position on whether or not obesity is a disease. The U.S. House of Representatives in its Oct. 29, 2009 health care bill H.R. 3962 included obesity as a "behavioral risk factor" and not as a disease.

The latest ProCon.org website explores many pro and con arguments and includes sources, images, videos, reader comments, and a section of little known facts called "Did You Know?" The findings should help readers think critically, educate themselves, and make informed decisions about eating, exercise, and their own Body Mass Index (BMI).

Did You Know?

-- In 2008 Mississippi had the highest rate of obesity out of all the
U.S. states at 32.8% of its population. Colorado had the lowest rate
at 18.5%.
-- Out of dozens of countries studied, U.S. males ranked 5th and U.S.
females ranked 11th in obesity according to World Health Organization
data from 2000-2007.
-- In 2005 obesity accounted for an estimated 216,000 deaths (1 in 10
deaths) among U.S. adults. It was the third-leading risk factor in
U.S. adult deaths after tobacco smoking (467,000 deaths) and high
blood pressure (395,000 deaths).
-- 67% of the adult U.S. population was either overweight or obese
between 2005-2006.
-- Since 2002, Americans who are medically diagnosed as obese have been
allowed to claim federal tax deductions for doctor prescribed
treatments, "special food," and weight loss programs.

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Toxic Chemicals in Bodies Report From Centers for Disease Control: Environmental Health Advocates Respond

/PRNewswire/ -- The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) expected to be released today by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is on the right track with a focus on testing people's bodies for chemical contamination, say environmental health advocates working on chemical exposure issues.

According to Pamela K. Miller, executive director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics, "While we are very relieved the CDC is stepping up its focus on chemical exposure with important monitoring of toxics in people's bodies, we'd like them to collect data to reflect geographic location in order to assess regional exposure patterns." In Alaska, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) - chemicals that can take many years to break down - drift North on wind and water and impact Indigenous people. Alaska has one of the highest rates of birth defects in the nation. Some scientists believe that the gender imbalance of more girls being born than boys in the Arctic is due in part to exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals that drift North.

Sharyle Patton, program director at Commonweal, says, "CDC should make individual results available to those they have tested. As the European Union begins its pilot biomonitoring study, it will be making plans to do just this, given EU legal support for the right to know. In the interests of transparency and access, and as leaders in national biomonitoring programs, surely we can do the same."

Margaret Reeves, Ph.D., senior scientist with Pesticide Action Network North America, who works with farmworker and rural communities says, "It is necessary for CDC to link time of year of specimen collection and the occupations of those tested to see patterns with pesticide applications and other exposures."

Peter Orris, MD, MPH, Professor and Chief of Service, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center welcomes the report as important: "I would hope that CDC will continue to collect information and will also look at intergenerational comparisons to help protect women of child bearing age from those chemicals that may damage the developing fetus."

"Biomonitoring studies provide direct evidence that people are exposed to harmful chemicals, and these studies should be linked with policy actions to reduce and prevent exposures," according to Davis Baltz, M.S., a Senior Associate working on chemical policy issues with Commonweal.

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Study raises concerns about outdoor second-hand smoke

Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new University of Georgia study in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard.

The study, thought to be the first to assess levels of a nicotine byproduct known as cotinine in nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke outdoors, found levels up to 162 percent greater than in the control group. The results appear in the November issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.

“Indoor smoking bans have helped to create more of these outdoor environments where people are exposed to secondhand smoke,” said study co-author Luke Naeher, associate professor in the UGA College of Public Health. “We know from our previous study that there are measurable airborne levels of secondhand smoke in these environments, and we know from this study that we can measure internal exposure.

“Secondhand smoke contains several known carcinogens and the current thinking is that there is no safe level of exposure,” he added. “So the levels that we are seeing are a potential public health issue.”

Athens-Clarke County, Ga., enacted an indoor smoking ban in 2005, providing Naeher and his colleagues and ideal environment for their study. The team recruited 20 non-smoking adults and placed them in one of three environments: outside bars, outside restaurants and, for the control group, outside the UGA main library. Immediately before and after the six-hour study period, the volunteers gave a saliva sample that was tested for levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine and a commonly used marker of tobacco exposure.

The team found an average increase in cotinine of 162 percent for the volunteers stationed at outdoor seating and standing areas at bars, a 102 percent increase for those outside of restaurants and a 16 percent increase for the control group near the library.

Naeher acknowledges that an exposure of six-hours is greater than what an average patron would experience but said that employees can be exposed for even longer periods.

“Anyone who works in that environment—waitresses, waiters or bouncers—may be there for up to six hours or longer,” Naeher said. “Across the country, a large number of people are occupationally exposed to second-hand smoke in this way.”

Studies that measured health outcomes following indoor smoking bans have credited the bans with lowering rates of heart attacks and respiratory illness, but Naeher said that the health impacts of outdoor second-hand smoke are still unknown.

In Naeher’s study, cotinine levels in the volunteers at the bar setting saw their levels increase from an average pre-exposure level of 0.069 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter) to an average post-exposure level of 0.182 ng/ml. The maximum value observed, however, was 0.959 ng/ml. To put that number into context, a widely cited study has determined that an average cotinine level of 0.4 ng/ml increases lung cancer deaths by 1 for every 1,000 people and increases heart disease deaths by 1 for every 100 people.

Still, the researchers caution that it’s too early to draw policy conclusions from their findings. Cotinine is a marker of exposure to tobacco, Naeher said, but is not a carcinogen. The team is currently planning a study that would measure levels of a molecule known as NNAL, which is a marker of tobacco exposure and a known carcinogen, in people exposed to second-hand smoke outdoors.

“Our study suggests that there is reason to be concerned about second-hand smoke levels outdoors,” said study co-author Gideon St. Helen, who is pursuing his Ph.D. through the university’s Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, “and our findings are an incentive for us to do further studies to see what the effects of those levels are.”

The study was funded by the Northeast (Georgia) Health District, the Athens (Georgia) Community Wellness Council and the Athens Tobacco Prevention Coalition.

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Civilian Haz-Mat Team To Protest Flu Shots

/PRNewswire/ -- As millions of Americans remain concerned about government-recommended flu shots, dozens of citizens dressed in full haz-mat suits will gather Wednesday, October 21, at the entrance to the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) to greet arriving members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Those advisors are meeting, Wednesday, at 8:00am. The event is designed to dramatize the toxicity of the H1N1 vaccine and Flu shot as they meet to discuss the H1N1 vaccine.

"We want the public to see just how toxic these vaccines are. If a vaccine vial is spilled, a haz-mat team is required for clean-up and the vaccine must be disposed of as biohazardous waste. Since when has the human body been deemed a toxic waste dump?" asks Karey Williams of Moms Against Mercury.

These protesters believe government health officials have not told all they know about the potential hazards of the H1N1 vaccine and the seasonal flu shot which they are also recommending. Officials do not deny that many flu vaccines will contain Thimerosal, a mercury based preservative, and a number of other toxins including ethylene glycol (antifreeze), formaldehyde, phenol, and antibiotics.

Thimerosal has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders. Government-mandated warnings known as Material Safety Data Sheets warn of mild to severe mental retardation in unborn infants exposed in utero, yet flu shots are recommended by the CDC to all pregnant women.

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, board-certified family physician, H1N1 vaccines made by Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline both contain immune system boosters known as squalene. One of them, known as MF-59, has yet to be approved by the FDA and has been linked to the Gulf War Syndrome.

"Two studies out this month point to evidence that mercury in vaccines causes neurological damage. One found 1 in 71 vaccinated children born in the 1990's, have received an autism diagnosis. Another study discovered brain damage in newborn monkeys who were given a mercury-containing Hepatitis B vaccine," says Scott Laster of SafeMinds.

The protest starts at 7:30am on Wednesday, October 21, 2009, at the gates of the CDC at 1600 Clifton Road, as the participants for the ACIP meeting arrive.

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Partnership for Prevention: CDC Report Shows Compelling Need for FDA Regulation of Tobacco

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report on the cigarette brand preferences of middle and high school students demonstrates the need for Congress to give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to regulate tobacco, Partnership for Prevention Interim President Corinne G. Husten, MD, MPH, said today.

"It's no accident that the most-advertised brand of cigarettes in history is also the favorite brand of high school and middle school students," Husten said. "Congress must move quickly to introduce and pass legislation giving FDA the authority to curtail advertising and promotional practices that appeal to underage youth."

The survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that Marlboro - the most heavily advertised brand of cigarettes - was the brand "usually smoked" by 52.3 percent of high school students and 43.3 percent of middle school students who regularly smoke. Cumulatively, the three most heavily advertised brands - Marlboro, Newport and Camel - were preferred by 78.2 percent of middle school smokers and 86.5 percent of high school smokers. Marlboro is manufactured by Altria, while Newport is made by Lorillard and Camel is sold by R.J. Reynolds.

"Altria and R.J. Reynolds must accept responsibility for their actions and end their advertising practices that appeal to children," Husten said. "Giving the FDA the power to regulate tobacco marketing would be a huge step to address one of the greatest public health threats facing American youth."

Husten said the report also underscored the need for increased funding for mass-media campaigns to counteract tobacco-industry marketing.

"Altria funds a campaign it claims is intended to discourage youth smoking," she said. "But data have shown that such campaigns by the tobacco industry actually increase youth tobacco use."

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FDA Urges Consumers Not to Eat Hundreds of Products Recalled Because of Contaminated Peanuts and Peanut Ingredients

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- So far more than 500 cases of foodborne illness caused by Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported. Many of these cases have required hospitalization. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed that the sources of this outbreak are peanut products from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA sells peanuts, peanut butter, peanut paste, peanut granules and peanut meal, all of which have been recalled

Although none of these PCA products were sold directly to the public, they can potentially sicken consumers because they are used by institutions, the food service industry, and by many companies as ingredients in hundreds of food products, including cookies, crackers and other baked goods, candies, snack bars and snack mixes, fruit and vegetable products with peanut butter, ice cream, and pet foods.

Major national brands of jarred peanut butter found in grocery stores are not affected by the PCA recall.

Companies are recalling their products that contain peanut ingredients from PCA. FDA urges consumers not to eat products that have been recalled or feed them to their pets, and to throw them away in a manner that prevents others from eating them. To help consumers identify these recalled products, FDA has created a searchable database which can be found at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm. Identification of products subject to recall is continuing and this database is updated frequently. The database is sorted by product category, such as cookies, snack bars, etc., or it can be searched by brand name, UPC code, product description (example: crackers with peanut butter), or any combination of brand, UPC code and description. Persons who do not have access to the Internet can get this information by calling FDA's information line at 1-888-SAFEFOOD or CDC's information line at 1-800-CDC-INFO. The CDC line is staffed 24 hours every day.

If a product is not in FDA's list of recalled products, consumers can check the company's Web site or call the toll-free number listed on most packaging. Information consumers may receive from the companies in this manner has not been verified by FDA.

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Flu / Influenza Map

Found something you might be interested in peeking at occasionally... It's the CDC's Weekly Influenza Summary Update. It's a map showing outbreaks of the flu.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm

There are some other informative links to the left of the map.

Stay healthy, wash your hands, take your vitamins and stay away from people with red noses.

Nearly One in Five Americans Say They Can't Afford Needed Health Care

Nearly one in five U.S. adults - more than 40 million people - report they do not have adequate access to the health care they need, according to the annual report on the nation's health released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report, "Health, United States, 2007," is a compilation of more than 150 health tables prepared by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

The report also contains a special section focusing on access to care, which shows that nearly 20 percent of adults reported that they needed and did not receive one or more of these services in the past year - medical care, prescription medicines, mental health care, dental care, or eyeglasses - because they could not afford them.

"There has been important progress made in many areas of health such as increased life expectancy and decreases in deaths from leading killers such as heart disease and cancer. But this report shows that access to health care is still an issue where we need improvement," said CDC Director Julie Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H.

In 2005, nearly one in 10 people between the ages of 18 and 64 said they were unable to get necessary prescription drugs during the past 12 months due to cost. Nearly 10 percent said they delayed receiving needed medical care. This report did not study the relationship between access to health care services and health outcomes.

Other major findings of the report include:

* Young adults 18-24 years of age were more likely than children or older adults to lack a usual source of care and to be uninsured. About 30 percent of these young adults did not have a usual source of health care, and an equal percentage were uninsured.
* One in 10 adults ages 45-64 years did not have a usual source of health care, and more than 5 percent of adults in this age group who had diagnosed high blood pressure, serious heart conditions, or diabetes reported not having a usual source of medical care.
* In 2005, one out of five people under the age of 65 reported being uninsured for at least part of the 12 months prior to being interviewed. The majority of this group reported being uninsured for more than 12 months.
* One in 10 women aged 45-64 years with income below the poverty level reported delaying medical care due to lack of transportation.
* About one-third of all children living below the poverty level did not have a recent dental visit in 2005, compared with less than one-fifth of children with higher income.

The report features data on virtually every health topic from all stages of life, and does show a number of important gains:

* In 2006, 87 percent of children age 19-35 months received three or more doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, an increase from 41 percent in 2002.
* In 2001-2004, the age-adjusted percentage of adults with high blood cholesterol was 17 percent down from 21 percent in 1988-94.
* In 2001-2004 about 25 percent of adults 20-64 years of age had untreated cavities, down from nearly 50 percent in 1971-74.

The full Health, United States: 2007 is available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/. For more information about the latest Department of Health and Human Services initiatives proposed to provide affordable health care coverage to every American visit www.hhs.gov/everyamericaninsured for more information.