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Tobacco Use

Fast Facts about Tobacco Use

  • According to 2003 statistics, 25% of adult Arkansans smoked, compared to 23% nationally.
  • Men who smoke increase their risk of death from lung cancer by more than 22 times and from bronchitis and emphysema by nearly 10 times.
  • Women who smoke increase their risk of dying from lung cancer by nearly 12 times and the risk of dying from bronchitis and emphysema by more than 10 times.
  • Smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease among middle-aged men and women.
  • Annually, exposure to secondhand smoke causes an estimated 3,000 deaths from lung cancer among American adults. Scientific studies also link secondhand smoke with heart disease.
  • Nearly 70% of the 46.5 million American adults who smoke cigarettes want to quit, but few are able to quit permanently without help.
  • There is evidence of an increase in the establishment of public nonsmoking work, home and car environments in Arkansas:
  • In 2003, 71% of adults surveyed worked at worksites in Arkansas that did not allow smoking in public areas of the worksite, an increase from 63% in 2002.
  • In 2003, 65% of adults surveyed in the state did not allow smoking in any area of the home, compared to 50% in 2002.
  • In 2003, 65% of adults surveyed in the state did not allow smoking in the vehicle, an increase from 59% in 2002.


Opportunities for Employers

  • Move smoker’s stations away from doorways.
  • Make your worksite campus smoke-free.
  • Identify non-smoking restaurants in your community.
  • Support those employees desiring to quit by providing cessation programs and providing awareness of quit lines and programs.
  • Place articles in company newsletter on the benefits of smoking cessation.
  • Display posters and billboards that encourage quit attempts.
  • Participate in campaigns such as the Great American Smokeout, National Employee Health and Fitness Day, Freedom from Smoking Day and World No-Tobacco Day.
  • Offer incentives to quit using tobacco.


Model Programs

The Quit Line (1-866-NOW QUIT), which started in March 2003, refers callers to the Mayo Clinic, which serves as a telephone-based resource to provide screening, counseling, support materials and referral for tobacco cessation assistance based on individuals’ readiness to quit. The quit rate for enrollees is 25.5 %.

The Central Arkansas Veterans Health System (CAVHS) Health and Wellness Program includes efforts to help employees quit smoking and remain smoke-free. CAVHS saved an estimated $817,000 the first year of the program - a savings of $8 for each $1 invested, reduced turnover by 5% in one year, reduced worker’s compensation expenditures by $199,000 in one year and reduced sick leave by 2,650 hours. An article on this program is in the AAOHN Foundation Journal, September 2001. Contact AAOHN Foundation at janet@aaohn.org or (770) 455-7757 ext.115.

The Quit Wizard is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Control Program. The program consists of the following components:

  • A Progress Meter that tracks progress as participants work toward becoming a nonsmoker.
  • A quit date and goals which can be checked or changed, if desired.
  • A Savings Calculator that keeps track of how much money has been saved by being smokefree.

The Quit Wizard can be accessed at www.trytostop.org/home.asp

The YNOTQUIT Tobacco Cessation Program, of the Monongalia Health System marketed this quitline sponsored by the Bureau for Public Health to employees as part of a comprehensive worksite wellness program. Monongalia General Hospital has seen a decrease in healthcare costs while most companies are seeing healthcare costs soar. For more information contact Wellness Councils of America at www.welcoa.org.

Making Your Workplace Smokefree: A Decision Maker’s Guide provides information on how to design, implement, and evaluate environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) policies and related activities. Includes sample policies and a list of organizations with smoke-free campuses/workplaces. Can be either ordered or downloaded free of charge from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at www.cdc.gov/tobacco/research_data/environmental/etsguide.htm