Southeastern Montana Tobacco Use

Prevention Program

Tobacco Free Parks

On the 23 of May, 2 Forsyth youth attended the city council meeting to explain to council members the importance of having tobacco free parks and making local parks where youth play to become tobacco free. After presenting their reasons for having tobacco free parks they received positive feedback from the members. The procedure will take time but they hope to hear back from them in the next couple months.

Direct E-Cig has an "F" rating with the BBB: BBB complaints point to a significant and ongoing pattern of problems with Direct E-Cig. In most cases, consumers say they ordered what they thought was a free starter kit, only to find out later that the company billed their credit cards for $100, $200, or more. A warning in small print on the Direct E-Cig website notes that "This product contains nicotine, a highly addictive substance. It has not been approved by the FDA as a smoke cessation device." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns consumers about potential health risks associated with electronic cigarettes. The FDA has said the products can increase nicotine addiction among young people and may lead them to try other tobacco products including conventional cigarettes. The BBB offers the following advice for consumers who are considering taking advantage of free or low-cost trial offers for smokeless cigarettes or other products: · Be very cautious of committing to trial offers, especially when you are asked to supply credit card information. Often, these offers require you to pay the full price for the product or automatically enroll you in an ongoing program as soon as the trial period is over. · Consumers often report difficulty canceling their agreements, even if they try to follow all requirements. · Understand that, in some cases, these companies can supply your contact information to other businesses. · Check out BBB Business Reviews by going to www.bbb.org or by calling 800-356-1007.

People who use the Montana Tobacco Quit Line are 7 to 10 times

more likely to quit than those trying to quit on their own.

Montana Tobacco Quit Line Services A FREE telephone service for all Montanan’s – 1-800-QUIT-NOW

A FREE personalized quit plan

FREE cessation coaching personalized quit plan

5 FREE pro-active cessation coaching sessions

6 FREE weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (gum, patches or lozenges) if appropriate, for cigarette or smoke-

less tobacco users

Chantix at a reduced cost ($25 co-pay per month for three months)

Bupropion at reduced cost ($5 co-pay per month for three months)

FREE educational materials for health care providers as well as friends and families of tobacco users

A fax referral system for health care providers who have patients that want to quit using tobacco (see provider

link)

Trained staff that offers culturally appropriate services for American Indians

We have 24-hour voicemail, so please leave us a message. We will call you back!

Montana Quit Line Hours Monday-Thursday 7 am – 9 pm

Friday 7 am – 7 pm

Saturday-Sunday 8 am – 4:30 pm

Increase in benefits is for a limited time.

31 May 2011

On 31st May each year WHO celebrates World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health risks as-sociated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce consumption. Tobacco use is the second cause of death globally (after hypertension) and is currently responsible for kill-ing one in 10 adults worldwide.

The World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and its lethal effects. It provides an opportunity to highlight specific tobacco control messages and to promote adherence to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Tobacco use is the number one preventable epidemic that the health community faces.

World No Tobacco Day

Secondhand smoke

Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds. More than 60 of these are known or suspected to cause cancer.

Secondhand smoke causes other kinds of diseases and deaths

Secondhand smoke can cause harm in many ways. In the United States alone, each year it is re-sponsible for:

An estimated 46,000 deaths from heart disease in non-smokers who live with smokers About 3,400 lung cancer deaths in non-smoking adults Other breathing problems in non-smokers, including coughing, mucus, chest discomfort, and re-

duced lung function 50,000 to 300,000 lung infections (such as pneumonia and bronchitis) in children younger than

18 months of age, which result in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations annually Increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks in about 200,000 to 1 million children

who have asthma More than 750,000 middle ear infections in children Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke are also at increased risk of having low birth-

weight babies.

Where is secondhand smoke a problem? You should be especially concerned about exposure to secondhand smoke in these 4 places:

At work

In public places

At home

In the car

SHS data came from: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/secondhand-smoke. In-formation about the health effects from tobacco use can be found on this website.

Call today for assistance to quit tobacco permanently

The Quit Line offers 6 weeks free gum, patches and lozenges. 3 months of Chantix at a $25.00 co-pay and 3 months of bupropion at a $5.00 co-pay, these two medications must have a prescription from your physician.

New Increase in benefits is for a limited time.

SUN PROTECTION

Simple precautions in the sun

The rise in the incidence of skin cancers over the past decades is strongly related to increasingly popular outdoor activities and recreational exposure. Overexposure to sunlight is widely accepted as the underlying cause for harmful effects on the skin, eye and immune system. Experts believe that four out of five cases of skin cancer could be prevented, as UV damage is mostly avoidable.

Adopting the following simple precautions, adapted from the SUN WISE SCHOOL PROGRAM can make all the difference. Shade, clothing and hats provide the best protection-applying sunscreen becomes necessary on those parts of the body that remain exposed like the face and hands. Sunscreen should never be used to prolong the duration of sun exposure.

· Limit me in the midday sun

The sun’s UV rays are the strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. To the extent possible, limit exposure to the sun

during these hours.

· Watch for the UV index

This important resource helps you plan your outdoor ac vi es in ways that prevent overexposure to the sun’s rays.

While you should always take precau ons against overexposure, take special care to adopt sun safety prac ces

when the UV index predicts exposure levels of moderate or above.

· Use shade wisely

Seek shade when UV rays are the most intense, but keep in mind that shade structures such as tree, umbrellas or

canopies do not offer complete sun protec on. Remember the shadow rule: “Watch your shadow‐ short shadow,

seek shade!”

· Wear protec ve clothing

A hat with a wide brim offers good sun protec on for your eyes, ears, face, and the back of your neck. Sunglasses

that provide 99 to 100 percent UV‐A and UV‐B protec on will greatly reduce eye damage from sun exposure. Tightly

woven, loose fi ng clothes will provide addi onal protec on from the sun.

· Use sunscreen

Apply a broad‐spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15+ liberally and re‐apply every two hours, or a er working, swimming,

playing or exercising outdoors.

Protec ng children

Sun protec on programs are urgently needed to raise awareness of the health hazards of UV radia on, and to achieve

changes in lifestyle that will arrest the trend towards more and more skin cancers. Beyond the health benefits, effec ve edu‐

ca on programs can strengthen na onal economies by reducing the financial burden to health care systems caused by skin

cancer and cataract treatments.

Children are in a dynamic state of growth, and are therefore more suscep ble to environmental threats than adults. Many

vital func ons such as the immune system are not fully developed at birth, and unsafe environments may interfere with their

normal development.

Schools are vitally important se ngs to promote sun protec on and effec ve programs can make a difference.

Debra French

P.O. Box 201

Hysham, MT 59038

(406) 671-9102

Jane Lamb

P.O. Box 555

Forsyth, MT 59327

(406) 351-2139

Southeastern Montana Tobacco Use

Prevention Program

Building Healthy Communities

Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco

Southeastern Montana

Tobacco Use Prevention Program

P.O. Box 201

Hysham, MT 59038-0201