New FDA Warning Labels & E-Cigarettes

For an article about the graphic photo warnings the FDA will now require on cigarette packaging. The FDA will mandate that 50% of the front and rear panels of cigarette packages will be covered with color graphics showing what happens when you smoke.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/03/AR2009080302229.html?hpid=sec-health

And for the latest on E cigarettes – a link to update you on this growing trend. There is a kiosk for “Smoke Anywhere” at the foot of the escalators in Lynnhaven Mall.
http://www.cigarettesreviews.com/category/electronic-cigarettes

Ending the Tobacco Problem: Resources for Local Action

New Website Serves as a Resource for Local Action

The Institute of Medicine recently launched Ending the Tobacco Problem: Resources for Local Action, a new tobacco cessation website aimed at providing community coalitions with information to take action in their local communities. Based on the IOM's 2007 report, the website provides examples of organizations that have taken actions similar to or based on the report's recommendations, serving as a model for other communities. The website covers topics such as smoking in the movies, smoke-free beaches, and smoking cessation programs. Visit the site online at www.iom.edu/tobacco.

Smoking & Tobacco - from CDC

Smoking and Tobacco Use Widget

Newly Pregnant Smokers Have a 15-Week Window to Quit

By Steven ReinbergHealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women who quit smoking before the 15th week of pregnancy reduce their risk of premature birth and having small babies to that of nonsmoking women, a new study finds. It's known that smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, premature birth, small babies, stillbirth and neonatal death, but no study until now has determined whether stopping smoking in early pregnancy reduces the risks of small babies and premature births, the study authors said.
"Pregnant women who smoke should be encouraged and assisted to become smoke-free early in pregnancy," said lead researcher Dr. Lesley McCowan, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Women who don't quit smoking by 15 weeks are three times more likely to give birth prematurely and twice as likely to have smaller babies, compared to women who stopped smoking, McCowan said. The findings were published in the March 27 online issue of BMJ. For the study, McCowan's team collected data on 2,504 pregnant women. Eighty percent did not smoke, 10 percent had quit smoking and 10 percent were current smokers.There was no difference in the rate of spontaneous premature birth between women who did not smoke and those who had stopped by week 15 (4 percent vs. 4 percent). The same was true for having smaller babies (10 percent vs. 10 percent), the researchers found. However, women who continued to smoke had higher rates of spontaneous preterm birth than woman who quit (10 percent vs. 4 percent) and higher rates of smaller babies (17 percent vs. 10 percent). The study also found that women who stopped smoking weren't more stressed than women who continued to smoke, McCowan noted. "Health professionals who care for pregnant women need to ask about smoking, advise about the importance of stopping, and, where possible, refer for extra support early in pregnancy to assist women to become smoke-free," she advised. Dr. Richard Frieder, an associate clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, said the study authors didn't explain whether this difference in low birth weight and gestational age at delivery actually translates into a measurable difference in newborn health. "We assume this to be true, but there was only about a half pound difference in birth weight and six days difference in gestational age. These numbers are not very impressive that one would think a big difference in neonatal health would be achieved. Still, we should assume that a half pound and six days more of gestation is better and that we should strive to help women stop smoking," he said. There are other big issues at play when it comes to babies, women and cigarette smoke, Frieder added. "Babies that live in 'smoking homes' have a much higher risk of respiratory ailments, such as asthma and pneumonia and SIDS. In addition, women are more susceptible to the cancer-causing effects of cigarette smoke than men. The tobacco industry specifically targets women, despite this well-known fact," he said.
SOURCES: Lesley McCowan, M.D., associate professor, obstetrics and gynecology, University of Auckland, New Zealand; Richard Frieder, M.D., associate clinical professor, department of obstetrics and gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles; March 27, 2009, BMJ, online

Patient Education videos

Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center has formatted a patient education video 'Stop Smoking for Good' into three You Tube videos: 1. Help to Stop Smoking; 2. I'm So Happy I Stopped Smoking; 3. Stopping Smoking: Why is it so Hard".
Links are attached. Please feel free to use these as you see fit for patients and/or other health professionals. I would be interested in any feedback you receive regarding the videos - such as which is most useful, for who, and why. Please feel free to contact me directly at burke.michael1@mayo.edu with any feedback.
Help to Stop Smoking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDfvaSKGVxk
I'm so Happy I Stopped Smoking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcF8hkpHueM&feature=related
Stopping Smoking: Why is it so Hard? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ewwzazHfq4
Each of the videos does mention our Residential Treatment Program and if anyone wants more information on those you can go to our web site http://ndc.mayo.edu/ and follow the link for the Treatment Programs.

Kick Butts Day on March 25th

This is a campaign created by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and helps to raise young adult's awareness about the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke. Great Resources!!!

Kick Butts click here - http://kickbuttsday.org/resources/downloads.php

GENERAL ASSEMBLY APPROVES RESTAURANT SMOKING BAN

Lawmakers in Virginia have passed a partial ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. The measure restricts smoking to separately ventilated rooms in restaurants, to private clubs and to outdoor patios. The bill now goes to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who supports it.

Some Key Points:
-The measure, SB1105, bans smoking in bars and restaurants except for private clubs, facilities with separate smoking areas equipped with independent ventilation systems and establishments that have open-air outdoor patios.

-Other provisions in the legislation would make it effective Dec. 1, 2009 and permit bar and restaurant employees to work outside designated smoking areas without facing professional punishment.

-That legislation, SB1106, would have made it illegal to smoke in a vehicle when a child is present and created a $100 penalty for violations.

Read the story here.

Senate rejects House changes that weaken anti-smoking bill
The Virginian-Pilot/ February 16, 2009

The Senate today rebuffed House amendments to a proposed statewide smoking ban for most bars and restaurants.

The bill’s patron, Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, asked the Senate to reject the changes that the House of Delegates passed last week, calling them unacceptable.

One of the House amendments would have allowed smoking in any establishment during hours that they did not admit minors. Another removed a requirement that businesses install separate ventilation systems if they wish to provide a room for smokers; the amendment required only that a door separate the smoking room.

Northam said the amendments “basically were unacceptable” to a lot of the people who have worked on the proposed ban. The legislation carried some bipartisan support with endorsements from both Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and House Speaker William Howell, R-Stafford.

Northam said he believed lawmakers will be able to build support over the next few days for something closer to the original legislation.

The Senate complied with his request and rejected the House amendments by a vote of 11-28. The bill now goes back to the House.

The power shift is playing out in the trenches
The Virginian-Pilot/ February 15, 2009

By the time Del. Terry Kilgore finished gouging out exceptions to a proposed smoking ban last week, the bill couldn't have doused a cigarette in a typhoon.

Backed by a band of rural Republicans and Democrats, the far Southwest lawmaker enjoyed a fleeting victory. Kilgore believes the ban on smoking in restaurants and bars will pass despite his opposition, and the future promises fresh defeats.

In 2011, House and Senate districts will be adjusted to account for population shifts in the state. The balance of power will tilt more sharply toward suburban communities in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.

"Rural Virginia is probably on their last hurrah right now," said Kilgore, who lives the farthest from the Capitol of all 140 legislators. "We're going to be outnumbered big time after the next Census."

Read more: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/power-shift-playing-out-trenches