AHA Statement on Surgeon General's tobacco report

American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown says U.S. Surgeon General Report Stresses Importance of Cessation Strategies to Reduce Tobacco’s Deadly Toll

The U.S. Surgeon General’s report, “How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease,” sheds new light on the damaging effects of tobacco use on the health of all Americans. This comprehensive scientific report shows that even brief exposure to tobacco smoke can trigger acute cardiac events and potential sudden death. The evidence clearly states that tobacco products are lethal weapons capable of shortening the lifespan of smokers and nonsmokers alike. However, tobacco companies will stop at nothing to addict a new generation of smokers. They are ramping up efforts to fight regulations that restrict marketing campaigns and the sale of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products and designing new cigarettes to make them more addictive. This report provides more ammunition to fight their deceptive and deadly campaign.

We strongly believe the findings will support implementation of new federal tobacco regulations, including the development of graphic warning labels for cigarette packages. We also urge state officials to fund smoking prevention and cessation programs at CDC recommended levels, enact strong smoke-free policies and boost tobacco excise taxes. Policymakers must not allow complacency to rule in the fight against tobacco. Bold, aggressive measures are needed to save lives, reduce the burden of disease and improve quality of life.

For more information, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/tobaccosmoke/index.html.

Minnesota Still No. 6 in health rankings

This article appeared in the Star Tribune on 12/7/2010, reported by Chen May Yee.

Minnesota is the sixth-healthiest state in the nation, according to the latest ranking by United Health Foundation.


While the ranking is no worse -- or no better, depending on your perspective -- than last year, it's far from the No. 1 position the state held as recently as 2006.

"Overall, we continue to be relatively much healthier than the rest of the country," said Dr. Reed Tuckson, an executive vice president at Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group. "What's worrisome is the risk factors for key diseases seem to be getting worse."

Vermont topped the list of healthiest states again, followed by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Hawaii.

The wide-ranging study, called "America's Health Rankings," looks at outcomes such as infant mortality, deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer, and sick days. It also weighs the prevalence of obesity, smoking and binge drinking as well as health insurance coverage, public health funding and immunization in each state.

Finally, researchers take into account factors such as air pollution, violent crime and the number of children living in poverty.


"We are pleased that we are solidly in the top 10," said Minnesota commissioner of health Dr. Sanne Magnan. "We always like to be above average and heading to Number 1."

Binge drinking up

While Minnesota ranked first in the nation on outcomes, it ranked seventh on so-called determinants, which include behaviors and traits that bode ill for the future. Among other things, more Minnesotans are binge drinking, with 20.0 percent of the adult population doing so, up from 17.2 percent a year ago. Minnesota ranked close to worst in the nation for binge drinking, at 48th place, with North Dakota 49th and Wisconsin 50th.

Binge drinking is defined as males having five or more drinks on one occasion and females having four or more drinks on one occasion. "Unfortunately, we are part of a belt of northern states where alcohol use and binge drinking are prevalent," Magnan said. She said the state needed to work to change cultural norms so it's less acceptable for people to binge drink, much the way smoking has become less socially acceptable.


Bigger waistlines

Minnesota waistlines are also expanding, with 25.3 percent of the population now obese, compared with 15.5 percent 10 years ago. Minnesota ranked 13th in the nation for prevalence of obesity.


The state ranked 46th in the nation for public health funding, at $45 per person. Vermont, for example, spends $177 per person. Magnan said the Minnesota figure was an understatement because it does not include additional public health spending by counties and cities.

But fewer people are dying from cardiovascular disease. In the past 10 years, the rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease fell from 286.3 to 206.3 deaths per 100,000 population. Asked if that reflected citywide smoking bans, UnitedHealth's Tuckson said the data did not provide that level of detail.


The concern, he added, was that with more obesity and binge drinking, "you're producing a tsunami of preventable chronic illness being delivered to the shores of an increasingly unaffordable delivery system."

UnitedHealth Foundation, which produces the annual rankings, is part of UnitedHealth Group, the country's biggest health insurer by revenue.

Click here to access the complete report for Minnesota.

New Research Provides Evidence That Freedom to Breathe Act Improves Health without Causing Economic Harm

American Journal of Preventive Medicine Highlights Minnesota Tobacco Research

New research released in the December 2010 supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM) concludes that Minnesota’s statewide smoke-free law has not adversely affected bar and restaurant employment. The research adds to the growing body of evidence on the Freedom to Breathe Act’s success and offers the first analysis of independent data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Research conducted at the University of Minnesota found no statistically significant changes in bar and restaurant employment statewide or regionally after the smoke-free law was implemented. “These findings are significant because employment data is a key indicator of economic impact,” said David Willoughby, CEO of ClearWay MinnesotaSM. “We now know that the Freedom to Breathe Act significantly improved health without imposing an economic burden on the hospitality industry.”

A second study highlighted in AJPM found that air pollution from secondhand smoke particles in bars and restaurants decreased by more than 95 percent after implementation of the law. Conducted by the Center for Energy and Environment, these findings offer further proof that comprehensive smoke-free laws offer immediate protection to workers and customers from the dangerous particles found in secondhand smoke.

This issue of AJPM features nine original articles from ClearWay Minnesota-funded research grantees, two review articles and commentaries by U.S. Senator Al Franken and Dr. Brad Hesse of the National Cancer Institute.

The studies highlighted in the supplement add to the already significant research on the success of this landmark health policy. Past research has shown that hospitality workers are healthier thanks to the Freedom to Breathe Act. According to a 2008 study conducted by the University of Minnesota Cancer Center, Minnesota’s smoke–free law reduced exposure to cancer-causing carcinogens in nonsmoking hospitality workers by 85 percent. In addition, a one-year anniversary public opinion poll showed 77 percent of Minnesotans supported the statewide smoke-free law, of which 41 percent strongly supported the law.

Since 2000, ClearWay Minnesota has awarded more than $17 million in grants to Minnesota researchers. The impact of ClearWay Minnesota-funded research has been felt well beyond Minnesota’s borders and has significantly contributed to the science base in the field of tobacco control.

For more information and the full research supplement, please visit clearwaymn.org/research.

Child Nutrition Act Passes

Great news! The House of Representatives just passed the Child Nutrition Act, by a vote of 264 to 157! This action by the House completes Congress' work on the bill and sends it to the President's desk to be signed into law.

The American Heart Association owes you a big THANK YOU. Thanks to the support of you and your fellow advocates, over 25,000 emails, phone calls, and petitions, were sent to Members of Congress to push for action on the Child Nutrition Act. We can all be proud that the final bill contains provisions that will help ensure a healthier school environment for our kids, including removing junk foods from schools, strengthening school wellness policies and increasing funding for more nutritious school lunches.

Together, we will build on this progress as we continue our fight for healthy hearts for our kids.

To see how your Representative voted, click here.

Blue Cross Report: Smoking Takes More Than 5,000 Lives, Costs Minnesota Nearly $3 Billion Annually

Report plus Great American Smokeout offer reason to quit,renew tobacco prevention efforts

EAGAN, Minn. (Nov. 17, 2010) – A new report issued by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) shows thateach year, smoking is responsible for 5,135 deaths in Minnesota and $2.87 billion in excess medical costs to treat diseasescaused by smoking. The report, titled “Health Care Costs and Smoking in Minnesota,” was completed by Jeffrey Fellows,Ph.D., and a nationally known health economist from the Center for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

On the eve of the American Cancer Society’s 35th annual Great American Smokeout (Thursday, November 18),tobacco use continues to be a critical issue for Minnesota. Other studies show about 634,000 Minnesota adults still smoke asdo another 56,000 Minnesota high school students. However, the nearly $3 billion economic impact is borne by allMinnesotans. Treating the diseases and conditions related to smoking – such as cancer, emphysema and heart diseases –equates to $554 for every man, woman and child in the state. Another way to illustrate just how much taxpayers, employersand governments spend on these preventable diseases and conditions is to consider what $2.87 billion could also buy:

• 5 Target Fields = $2.7 billion
• 12 I-35W Bridges = $2.8 billion
• 72,000 Jobs at $40,000 = $2.9 billion

“The human and economic costs are staggering and senseless because tobacco use is completely preventable,” saidMarc Manley, M.D., chief prevention officer for Blue Cross. “At a time when budgets are in crisis, from our kitchen tablesto the state capitol, we need to renew our focus on preventing disease. Since tobacco remains the leading preventable causeof death and disease, aggressive efforts are needed to keep youth from ever starting to smoke and to make it easier for morepeople to quit.”

Minnesota is a leader when it comes to implementing strategies to reduce the harms of tobacco. Blue Cross,alongside other Minnesota health organizations, has advocated for a smoke-free workplace law and worked to raise theprice of tobacco, protect youth from traditional and nontraditional tobacco products and offer resources to help smokersquit. Statistics indicate that these efforts are having positive effects, as Minnesota’s smoking rate has declined from 22percent in 1999 to 17 percent in 2007. Nationally, the smoking rate is about 20 percent.

Blue Cross’ member smoking rate is even lower at 11 percent. But more work remains, as the tobacco industry continues tospend millions each year marketing its products to youth, women and populations that experience health disparities,and we are seeing a concerning rise in the number of people using multiple forms of tobacco.

Blue Cross encourages smokers to use the Great American Smokeout as an opportunity to make a plan to quit, oreven quit smoking for that day. Blue Cross volunteers will be working side-by-side with student volunteers and theAmerican Cancer Society to promote the Great American Smokeout at Rosemount High School. Volunteers will beencouraging students to take the “Smokeout Pledge” to avoid tobacco use, educating students about the hazards of cigarettesmoke to positively impact their health. This is the second year Blue Cross has held this event at an area school near itsEagan headquarters.

As a health company, Blue Cross is committed to making a healthy difference in people’s lives. Blue Cross has along history of advocating for tobacco control on behalf of its members and the entire state, dating back to the 1990s whenit won a historic settlement with the tobacco companies. Some of the creative initiatives Blue Cross has deployed to tackletobacco use since then include:

• Advocating for the Freedom to Breathe law to protect all workers from the harms of secondhand smoke, as well asa health impact fee to raise the price of cigarettes and keep youth from starting to smoke

• Providing online and telephone quit services on bluecrossmn.com, including tailored coaching and cessationservices for several populations that experience health disparities

• Leading a collaborative of health organizations to form Call it Quits, a fax referral system that makes it easy forphysicians to refer patients who smoke to phone-based coaching services

• Helping employers adopt tobacco-free work sites and provide access to quit medications at no cost to theiremployees

Blue Cross members have free access to stop-smoking support. Call 1-888-662-2583 (BLUE) to get started.Uninsured or underinsured Minnesotans can call QUITPLAN® Services at 1-888-354-PLAN. A copy of the economiccosts report is available at bluecrossmn.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Karen Lyons, 651-662-1415, Karen_M_Lyons@bluecrossmn.com

Pam Lux, 651-662-3959, Pam_G_Lux@bluecrossmn.com

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, with headquarters in the St. Paul suburb of Eagan, was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota’sfirst health plan and continues to carry out its charter mission today: to promote a wider, more economical and timely availability ofhealth services for the people of Minnesota. A nonprofit, taxable organization, Blue Cross is the largest health plan based in Minnesota,covering 2.7 million members in Minnesota and nationally through its health plans or plans administered by its affiliated companies.Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered inChicago. Go to bluecrossmn.com to learn more about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.