Spring Break
Anti-tobacco program results in decreased incidents of smoking
By: Paul Recer
Issue date: 11/20/03 Section: News
WASHINGTON - In 17 states that participated in a $128 million government program to discourage tobacco, the prevalence of smoking dropped nearly a percentage point faster than in the rest of the country, a study found.
If the anti-tobacco program was used in all states and the District of Columbia it could reduce the number of smokers by about 278,700, said Frances A. Stillman, the first author of the study appearing Wednesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The study evaluated the effect of an eight-year demonstration project called American Stop Smoking Intervention Study, or ASSIST, that was sponsored by NCI.
The anti-smoking project trained local advocacy groups to lobby for passage of higher cigarette excise taxes and to promote regulations for smoke-free environments. The program also mounted a public relations effort to counter an estimated $47 billion spent by industry to market tobacco products during the study period and included efforts to limit underage access to tobacco.
States included in the study were Colorado, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
At $128 million, the program spent about $1,200 for each smoker who kicked the habit. Elizabeth A. Gillian, a University of California, San Diego, researcher and a co-author of the study, called that cost "a real bargain."
"Most smoking cessation programs will spend that (for each smoker)," said Gillian. "That's just for a few hours of a counselor's time. When you think about what you save in health care costs, $1,200 is a real bargain."
Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that cigarette smoking is responsible for more that 440,000 deaths a year in the United States. Smoking has been linked to heart disease, emphysema and other respiratory system diseases, stroke and a number of different types of cancer.
If the anti-tobacco program was used in all states and the District of Columbia it could reduce the number of smokers by about 278,700, said Frances A. Stillman, the first author of the study appearing Wednesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The study evaluated the effect of an eight-year demonstration project called American Stop Smoking Intervention Study, or ASSIST, that was sponsored by NCI.
The anti-smoking project trained local advocacy groups to lobby for passage of higher cigarette excise taxes and to promote regulations for smoke-free environments. The program also mounted a public relations effort to counter an estimated $47 billion spent by industry to market tobacco products during the study period and included efforts to limit underage access to tobacco.
States included in the study were Colorado, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
At $128 million, the program spent about $1,200 for each smoker who kicked the habit. Elizabeth A. Gillian, a University of California, San Diego, researcher and a co-author of the study, called that cost "a real bargain."
"Most smoking cessation programs will spend that (for each smoker)," said Gillian. "That's just for a few hours of a counselor's time. When you think about what you save in health care costs, $1,200 is a real bargain."
Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that cigarette smoking is responsible for more that 440,000 deaths a year in the United States. Smoking has been linked to heart disease, emphysema and other respiratory system diseases, stroke and a number of different types of cancer.
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