DO ANTI-SMOKING COMMERCIALS WORK?

BRAIN SCANS REVEAL THE GRAPHIC IMPACT OF ANTI-SMOKING COMMERCIALS

Due to their exceedingly graphic nature, antismoking TV commercials are hard to miss, but many question if their attention-grabbing tactics actually persuade smokers to quit. A new study claims that brain imaging can determine which aspects of an anti-smoking public service announcement (PSA) will convince a smoker to break the habit.
These findings are extremely fortuitous, as public health officials are searching for new, efficient ways to engage smokers. National efforts to curb smoking have apparently flatlined, as after decades of decline, the adult smoking rate has hovered at 20 percent in recent years, according to reports from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the same time, states have dramatically cut funding for tobacco prevention programs, as reported in the New York Times, by nearly 40 percent — $250 million — since 2008, which will undoubtedly force public health officials to maximize the reach and impact of future antismoking campaigns.
In what is possibly a landmark study, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at University of the Pennsylvania have found that brain activity can dictate how a smoker will respond to the content and format of a televised ad.  This finding could allow advertisers to streamline the development of PSAs by providing a direct readout for consumer behavior.
"It's one of the first papers to embed concepts from the world of communications into the world of biology," said Dr. Daniel D. Langleben, senior author on the study and a psychiatrist at the Pearlman School of Medicine.
While creating a PSA, communication specialists typically focus on two basic elements: its 'argument strength' (how persuasive is its message?) and its 'sensation value' (does it have enough special effects?). Smokers have long been considered to be sensation/thrill seekers, so for decades, PSAs have often tried to engage this trait with vivid imagery and gripping soundtracks. The results have been mixed. While smokers are more likely to recall flashier ads, there has been limited success with convincing individuals to actually quit.
To determine if neural activity could predict quitting behavior, 71 smokers were asked to view a series of short, 30-second antismoking PSAs, while their brains were scanned by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Each participant watched 16 commercials that had either strong arguments ("If the personal health dangers aren't enough, consider quitting for your children and those you love") or weak arguments ("Smoking makes you less attractive to potential partners.")
One month after the screening, the researchers sampled the subjects' urine for cotinine — a metabolite of nicotine — to see who had changed their smoking behavior.
They found that activation in one brain region, the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), predicted whether a person would eventually reduce their cigarette consumption.  The largest spikes in dmPFC brain activity were seen when the PSAs had a strong argument, regardless of the level of special effects or pizzazz.
"Thus, greater activation in dmPFC predicts long-term outcomes; i.e., less smoking," said Dr. An-Li Wang, a neuroscientist and first author of the study. She added that these subjects were not seeking treatment at the outset of the study, suggesting that their viewing sessions had a direct impact on their subsequent smoking behavior.
Before Dr. Langleben tells advertisers to add neuroscientists for their staffs, he would like to perform a larger follow-up study where PSAs are precisely tailored to induce specific neural responses in subjects. Although this might spawn 'Manchurian' commercials and highly suggestive marketing, it could ultimately provide empirical variables that can build better ads to deter smoking.
"Overall, what we have here is another substantial step towards objective measures for evaluating health communications," said Langleben.
Co-authors of the study include Kosha Ruparel, MSE, James W. Loughead, PhD, Andrew A. Strasser, PhD, Shira J. Blady, Kevin G. Lynch, PhD, Dan Romer, PhD, and Caryn Lerman, PhD, of the Department of Psychiatry at Penn Medicine, and Joseph N. Cappella, PhD, of the Annenberg School for Communication.


LINK :
  1.  http://www.medicaldaily.com/do-anti-smoking-commercials-work-brain-scans-reveal-answer-245221

2.  http://draft.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8820706532194535856#editor/target=post;postID=1419890530102021634;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=0;src=link

 3.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130423211716.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmost_popular+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Most+Popular+News%29

4.  http://esciencenews.com/articles/2013/04/24/anti.smoking.ads.with.strong.arguments.not.flashy.editing.trigger.part.brain.involving.behavior.change 

5.http://www.science20.com/news_articles/antismoking_ads_work_are_not_most_shocking_ones-110188

268,000 PLEDGED TO QUIT SMOKING DURING ''STOPOBER''

A LAUDABLE INITIATIVE OF BRITISH GOVERNMENT

*  More than a quarter of a million people pledged to stub out their last cigarette during the "Stoptober" anti-smoking campaign in Britain.

*  The month-long NHS (National Health Services) quit drive, which ran until the end of October, aimed to encourage thousands of Britain's eight million smokers to kick the habit.
Research suggests that those who successfully gave up for 4  weeks, are 5 times more likely to stay smoke-free.
*   Health minister Anna Soubry said the £5.7 million campaign had "exceeded expectations". The figures were announced as a new study suggested women smokers can earn themselves 10 years of extra life by quitting the habit before middle age.
*  The study of 1.3 million women found that smoking tripled the chances of dying over 9 years compared with non-smokers. Most of the increased death rate resulted from smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer, chronic lung disease, heart disease or stroke.
*   Smokers who kicked the habit around age 30 avoided 97% of their excess risk of premature death, according to the Million Women Study.
*   Ms Soubry said: "Stoptober has been a great success - it has exceeded our expectations. But half of all smokers will die because of their habit. We know that most smokers want to give up, which is why we must keep encouraging them to make that step. "I congratulate everyone who gave up for Stoptober - it's a fantastic achievement. They are 5 times more likely to give up for good after 28 days and I hope they will. For those who didn't manage to stop for Stoptober, I would urge them to keep at it. People can start their own 28 day quit challenge at any time."
*   More than 268,000 people registered to take part in Stoptober - the UK's first ever mass stop smoking event, the Department of Health (DoH) said.
*   Almost 200,000 support packs were ordered which included a Stoptober guide, an addiction test, patches and gum. There were 205,885 registrations for the Stoptober online app and 72,347 text service registrations.
*   More than 1.2 million visits to the Smokefree website were recorded, along with 150,000 Stoptober tweets and more than 50,000 fans joined the Facebook page in the campaign period.
*   Smoking remains the biggest killer in England with half of long-term smokers dying from smoking related diseases.
More than 8 million people still smoke in England each year and 300,000 children under 16 try their first cigarette, the DoH said.
*   Exposure to second-hand smoke results in 300,000 GP visits and 9,500 hospital admissions for children each year.

LINKS:
 1. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/268000-pledge-to-quit-smoking-for-stoptober-8229016.html
2.  http://getpocket.com/a/read/244853715 

'RUSSIANS HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT CHAINS OF SMOKE'

'RUSSIANS HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT CHAINS OF SMOKE'
Moscow, 22 October:

The Russian government is preparing an anti-smoking law and has enlisted the prime minister and badminton lover Dmitry Medvedev to support it, which he did in a video appeal calling for people to kick the habit.

The legislation will be discussed in parliament by the end of October.

Medvedev stated that this was a very important bill for non-smokers as well. “For non-smokers this law cannot come soon enough. Some smokers call it an attempt to curtail their right to do whatever they want with their health. But I am sure that the bill serves the interests of our country’s residents,” he said.

Russia among leaders for smoking

As of today, the prime minister said, Russia has one of the highest levels of smoking in the world.

“Forty-four million of our citizens depend on daily doses of nicotine – just think about it, it’s a third of the country, including children! And we are the second largest [smokers] in the world after China.”

In 2011, Russians spent more than 600 billion rubles on cigarettes, the state secretary and deputy health minister, Sergei Velmyaikin, told RIA Novosti.

Medvedev said the market is divided between the four major foreign cigarette companies, all of which came to Russia in the early 1990s. “Unfortunately, then, in the 1990s, the state did not consider the risks of foreign tobacco investment in the Russian economy.”

Numbers rose over 20 years

He said the number of smoking women tripled in that period – from 7 to 22 percent – and the age of first-time smokers fell from 15 to 11.

“Currently two-thirds of Russian teenagers from 13 to 16 years old have smoked, and a third smokes regularly. Annually, in Russia, 400,000 pupils aged 10 to 13 try smoking, and almost a third are active smokers.”

He added that Russia loses almost 400,000 people a year to smoking, a number equivalent to the number of residents of Tver.

“So, every year a large city disappears from the map of the country due to tobacco use, and this is a long and painful death from cancer, emphysema, or a sudden one from heart attack or stroke,” the prime minister said.

Gradual ban

The prime minister explained that the anti-smoking bill provides for a complete ban on smoking in playgrounds, government buildings, schools, and universities – and from 2015, in cafes and restaurants as well.

The measures would be introduced gradually, and by Jan. 1, 2015, smoking would not be allowed in any public buildings. Taxes on tobacco would also be raised and advertising cut down.

The extra money from increased taxes on tobacco will be spent on healthcare, he said.

Not discrimination

Medvedev contradicted the idea that the bill is discriminatory against smokers, noting that “today, nearly 60 percent of adults and all children, including infants, are subjected to discrimination on the part of smokers: they are forced to inhale the poisonous cigarette smoke, even though they did not choose to be smokers.”

“I would like to emphasize one simple thing: the government or the state is not at war with smokers, but we are against smoking,” he stressed, adding that over 80 percent of Russians, including two-thirds of regular smokers, support the fight against smoking.

“Let’s free our country from tobacco,” he concluded.

LINKS:

http://indrus.in/articles/2012/10/21/pm_calls_for_nationwide_smoking_ban_18521.html

RUSSIA : SECOND LARGEST TOBACCO MARKET

SECOND LARGEST TOBACCO MARKET OF THE WORLD

 

* Russia is the second largest tobacco market in the world.
* Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in a video blog on Tuesday that 44 million   Russians, nearly one in three, were hooked on smoking.
* According to Medvedev’s message, Russia has the highest percentage of smokers in the world.
* From 1992, the percentage of female smokers tripled from 7 to 22 per cent.
 

* The average age that Russian children begin smoking decreased from age 15 to age 11, Medvedev said.
* Almost 400,000 die every year of smoking-related causes.
* "Every year (the equivalent of) a large city disappears," Medvedev said.
* The habit of lighting up in Russia, where the air in bars, coffee shops and stairwells is thick with smoke, is encouraged by the cheap price of cigarettes. A pack typically costs around 50-60 roubles (less than $2).
* While President Vladimir Putin is a non-smoker and has reprimanded ministers for smoking, some other top officials, such as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, are heavy smokers.
* The government hopes the legislation will help improve life expectancy, which at 62 for men and 74 for women in 2009, remains low by the standards of other middle-income countries.
* The Russian cigarette market, estimated to be worth around $22 billion in 2011 by Euromonitor International, is a significant part of overseas tobacco companies' businesses.
* Four foreign tobacco companies - Japan Tobacco International, Phillip Morris, British American Tobacco, and Imperial Tobacco - control more than 90 percent of Russian sales and have been lobbying to soften the proposed legislation.
* Russia's Finance Ministry has previously announced plans to increase the excise duty on tobacco by around 40 percent for 2013 and 2014 and said on Tuesday it plans to hike taxes by 10 percent a year after 2015. The Health Ministry supports a greater increase in duty.
* The bill would probably become law next spring if submitted to parliament by November 1, Nikolai Gerasimenko, deputy chairman of the State Duma's health committee, was quoted by the state-run Itar-Tass news agency as saying.
* The proposed legislation follows in the footsteps of other countries, mostly in the West, who have imposed strict controls on the advertising and sales of cigarettes and banned smoking in public places.
* In an article following Medvedev’s announcement, Russian daily Vedomosti noted that just a year ago then-president Medvedev awarded a state decoration to Pierre de Labouchere, the chief executive of Japan Tobacco, lauding him as a foreign citizen who had helped build “friendship and cooperation with Russia”.

CAMPUS BAN ON TOBACCO AND SMOKING IN GEORGIA STATE

GEORGIA BANS TOBACCO AND SMOKING ON CAMPUS

ATLANTA, 19 OCTOBER

:

YESTERDAY, the Georgia State University Senate approved a ban on smoking and tobacco use on the majority of the university campus.
Smoking and tobacco use of any kind is prohibited on all Georgia State-owned or leased locations, indoors and outdoors, in garages and parking lots, and in all Georgia State-owned or leased vehicles.
University Housing will designate limited exterior smoking and tobacco use areas.
"The new policy will bring about a better, healthier environment for everyone," said P.C. Tai, the Regents' Professor of Biology and chair of the Planning and Development Committee of the University Senate.
According to Georgia State, the university joins more than 600 colleges and universities in the United States with campus smoking bans.

 

AUSTRALIAN COURT UPHOLDS LAW ON CIGARETTE PACKAGING

Australia cigarette plain packaging law upheld by court

Australia's new cigarette packaging rules have put big manufacturers against the government

Australia's highest court has upheld a new government law on mandatory packaging for cigarettes that removes brand colours and logos from packaging.

The law requires cigarettes to be sold in olive green packets, with graphic images warning of the consequences of smoking.

Leading global tobacco manufacturers, including British American Tobacco and Philip Morris, had challenged the law.

The new packaging rules are scheduled to be implemented from 1 December 2012.

"At least a majority of the court is of the opinion that the Act is not contrary to (Australia's constitution)," the court said in a brief statement.

The full judgement is expected to be published on a later date.

'Still a bad law'

The law was passed by the government last year. Authorities have said that plain packaging of cigarettes will help reduce the number of smokers in the country. 

 

 Australian cigarette packets may soon look like this

 

However, tobacco manufacturers have argued that removing their brand names and company colours from packets will lead to a drastic cut in profits.

They have also warned that it may result in fake products entering the market.

"It's still a bad law that will only benefit organised crime groups which sell illegal tobacco on our streets," said Scott McIntyre, spokesman for British American Tobacco (BAT) Australia.

Sonia Stewart, spokesperson for Imperial Tobacco, added that "the legislation will make the counterfeiters' job both cheaper and easier by mandating exactly how a pack must look".

Cigarette manufacturers have also claimed that the law is unconstitutional and infringes on their intellectual property rights by banning the use of brands and trademarks.

However, BAT's Mr McIntyre said the firms will comply with the new rules.

"Even though we believe the government has taken our property from us, we'll ensure our products comply with the plain packaging requirements and implementation dates."

'Deluge of legislation'

Australia's new tough packaging laws are the first of their kind to be implemented in the world.

However, many other countries such as New Zealand, India, the UK and even some states in the US have been contemplating taking similar measures in a bid to reduce the number of smokers. 

As a result, the case between the government and the cigarette makers was being watched closely all across the globe.

Jonathan Liberman, director of the McCabe Center for Law and Cancer, said the ruling was likely to give a boost to other countries looking to take similar steps.

"It shows to everybody that the only way to deal with the tobacco industry's claims, sabre rattling and legal threats is to stare them down in court," he said.

The BBC's Sydney correspondent Duncan Kennedy said the decision may have global ramifications for the cigarette makers.

"Whilst Australia might be a relatively small cigarette market, tobacco companies know that losing here could lead to a deluge of legislation elsewhere in their really big markets."

 

"A smoker's going to smoke regardless of what the package says"

LINK:

           http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19264245

 

WOMEN's AND TOBACCO---REFERENCE-2

• thetruth.com    - American Legacy Foundation tobacco education campaign covers cigarettes, smoking, other tobacco products. "The truth about how the cigarette industry operates".
• Tobacco BBS    - Cigarettes, tobacco, and smoking-related news and issues, addresses, tobacco history, information on quitting, and a quote of the day section.
• Addicted to Nicotine: A National Research Forum - Includes presentation summaries of papers presented at the conference held in 2001 at the (US) National Institutes of Health. Topics include nicotine delivery systems, pharmacology, individual and environmental risk factors, the psychobiology of addition, and treatment of nicotine dependence.
• Ammonia Added to Cigarettes Can Significantly Boost Availability of Nicotine - Independent research confirms that ammonia added to cigarettes can boost the availability of nicotine up to 100 times.
• Cancer Facts and Figures - Concise summary from the American Cancer Society of tobacco use, cigarettes, trends in smoking, profiling smokers, costs of tobacco, nicotine addiction, secondhand smoke, spit tobacco, and industrial hazards.
• CDC's TIPS: Tobacco Information and Prevention Source - Maintained by the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. Covers tobacco-related issues, statistics, news, research, data, reports, quitting tips, educational materials, publications, . Also sections dedicated to youth.
• A Collection of Articles on Nicotine Addiction - Articles about research studies funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
• eMedicine - Nicotine Addiction - Medical facts on the physiology of nicotine addiction, and the effect tobacco products have on the brain, lungs, and other vital organs, and a treatment options section.
• Good Health -- Healthy Lifestyle - This site is dedicated to convincing people to live a healthy lifestyle, to improve their quality of life, and avoid (or reduce the severity of) chronic disease.
• 'Impact Booster': Tobacco Firm Shows How Ammonia Spurs Delivery of Nicotine - 1996 Pulitzer prize-winning reporting on how the tobacco industry uses ammonia to engineer cigarettes for addiction.
• Infofax - Cigarettes and Other Nicotine Products - NIH short summary of nicotine effects.
• Low Tar Exposed - Site explains why "low tar", "light" and "mild" cigarettes are just as harmful as regular cigarettes.
• M. D. Anderson Cancer Center - Tobacco & Cancer - University of Texas medical center factsheets on effects of smoking and tobacco, and tips and support for quitting. One-third of M. D. Anderson patients have tobacco-related cancers.
• Nicotine Addiction - Concise factsheet.
• Nicotine Addiction in Britain - Complete online book by the Royal College of Physicians; covers physical. pharmacological, and psychological effects; addiction; the smoker's career; regulation of intake; treatment; regulatory approaches; recommendations.
• Nicotine Addiction in Britain - Includes report produced by the Royal College of Physicians. "Nicotine addiction is one of the major reasons why people continue to smoke cigarettes, and cigarettes are in reality extremely effective and closely controlled nicotine delivery devices".
• Nicotine and Addiction - ASH-UK factsheet on nicotine, its properties, difficulty in quitting, measures of dependence, withdrawal systems, genetic influence, and tobacco industry recognition of the its importance. [PDF]
• Nicotine and the Tobacco Industry - Science Week article focuses on 3 decades of tobacco industry efforts to engineer cigarettes for addiction.
• Nicotine Junkies - Information on kids and smoking, facts about smoking and addiction.
• Quit Victoria - "Tobacco smoking is the single most important cause of ill health and premature death in Australia." Not just quitting information -- health questions answered; effects of cigarettes; quit evaluation studies; information in languages other than English; smokefree workplaces and dining.
• Reducing the Addictiveness of Cigarettes - Can cigarettes be made less addictive? Scientific paper examines the question.
• Report of the UK Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health - Report covers the scientific evidence on active smoking, passive smoking, nicotine addiction, price and marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products, cessation, key conclusions.
• Research Report: Nicotine Addiction - Information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse about nicotine, addiction, the extent and impact of tobacco use, how nicotine delivers its effect, consequences of continued use, treatments, and gender differences.
• Smoking And Tobacco Factsheets - From the Missouri Health Department, a large set of factsheets on cigarettes, tobacco advertising, health effects, and secondhand smoke.
• Smoking Is Ugly - Created and sustained by Christy Turlington, an online resource guide, providing information and links to numerous lung cancer and smoking-cessation related websites. SmokingIsUgly.com is part of Turlington's campaign to raise awareness about the effects of smoking, smoking related diseases and lung cancer.
• TCSG - Tobacco and The Elderly - Papers and factsheets on: tobacco and minorities, state tobacco settlement funds, tobacco and older persons.
• Tobacco Advertising and Document Collections - Growing set of resources presenting and organizing tobacco industry documents; shows what the industry says in private about youth, advertising, promotions; features a poster on the history of youth cigarette brands.
• Tobacco Control Online - A quarterly scientific journal covering all aspects of tobacco use prevention and control.
• Tobacco in Australia: Facts and Issues - A complete, online, book, with all citations to the literature. Covers cigarettes, other tobacco products; statistics and trends; health effects; smoking in the workplace and public places; public policy; addiction; quitting; anti-smoking campaigns; and the tobacco industry.
• Tobacco Industry Hall of Shame - List of stars and performers killed by tobacco.
• The Tobacco Reference Guide - Online book provides quotes, summaries, and factsheets about hazards of smoking.
• TobaccoFree - Offers smoking cessation tips, research results, and tips for staying smoke free.
• WHO: The Tobacco Atlas - History of tobacco, types of use, male and female smoking, youth, cigarette consumption, health effects, secondhand smoke, deaths, costs; the trade, the industry, smuggling, tobacco promotion and marketing, Internet sales, politics; activism, research, tobacco control, policy initiatives; quitting, litigation, pricing, and futures.
• WHO Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) - A WHO cabinet project created to focus international attention, resources and action on global tobacco use and problems caused by that use.
• WhyQuit - Cold Turkey Quitting - A support group and education forum dedicated exclusively to the science and art of successful abrupt nicotine cessation.
• "Crack" Nicotine in Cigarettes Varies Widely - New research measures amount of free-base nicotine in "the modern cigarette, a highly engineered nicotine delivery device". (July 28, 2003)
• OncoLink: The Control and Manipulation of Nicotine and Cigarettes - 1994 news article. Kessler report on how the tobacco industry controls and manipulates nicotine in its product. (June 21, 1994)
• ABC DayOne: Smoke Screen - Now-famous segment on nicotine manipulation in cigarettes. (February 28, 1994)

WOMEN's AND TOBACCO---REFERENCE

• ACSH: Tobacco and Women's Health: A Survey of Popular Women's Magazines, August 1999-August 2000 - Follow-up to earlier ACSH research finds women's magazines still give little or no coverage to lung cancer or other health effects of smoking, and still take plenty of cigarette ads, and still dispense plenty of other health advice.
• Background on Women & Girls and Tobacco - Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids backgrounder covers cigarette promotions targeting women and girls. [PDF]
• Background on Women and Girls and Tobacco - Pamphlet from the Partnership for Smoking or Health (Missouri health group).
• Catching Our Breath: A Journal About Change for Women who Smoke - Written by women for women; explores some of the problems women must overcome to quit smoking, or to reduce the amount they smoke. Also explores why women smoke as well as ways to cope and relax without smoking.
• Cigarette Ads Targetting Women - A collection of cigarette ads targetting women, from a gallery of cigarette ads.
• Cigarette Advertising and Magazine Coverage of the Hazards of Smoking: A Statistical Analysis - Research concludes that "cigarette advertising in magazines is associated with diminished coverage of the hazards of smoking. This is particularly true for magazines directed to women."
• Cigarette Smoking During Pregnancy - New evidence that cigarette smoking during pregnancy can cause attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior disorders and lower math and reading scores in children.
• Cigarettes Linked to Breast Cancer - Summary of recent research.
• Cigarettes More Dangerous to Women - According to recent research.
• Creating a Global Tobacco Culture Among Women - Book chapter explores tobacco industry promotion worldwide targeting women.
• Facts on Women and Tobacco - Fact sheet from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
• Independence From Smoking - National Women's Health Information Center provides information and resources to empower women and girls, and the people they love, to gain independence from smoking.
• International Network of Women against Tobacco (INWAT) - Founded in 1990 by women tobacco control leaders to address the complex issues of tobacco use among women and young girls.
• June Russell's Health Facts: Smoking - Women - Factsheet on tobacco products and their effects on women, children, and families.
• Ladies Home Journal on Smoking - Smoking quiz, quitting tips, and dealing with withdrawal symptoms.
• The Marketing of Cigarettes to Women - Academic article documents trends and effects of tobacco industry marketing to women.
• Our Health vs. Their Profits: the Lure of Smoking Continues for Girls - Essay from editors of Our Bodies, Ourselves reflects on the progress not made when it comes to women, girls, and smoking.
• Philip Morris: National Expert on Women - Once-secret memo, the Virginia Slims Opinion Poll Public Relations Plan, documents a PR campaign that Philip Morris ran to position itself as the "most authoritative chronicler of women's issues".
• Pregnancy and smoking: a lethal combination - Information on how much harm tobacco products cause during and after pregnancy.
• Review - The Female Smoker: From Addiction to Recovery. - Book review.
• Rite Aid Is Taking A Stand - Photo essay takes a hard look at Rite Aid's claim that it's taking a stand against heart disease in women.
• Secondhand Smoke Causes Women Decreased Lung Function - Secondhand smoke causes decreased lung function in women, especially women with asthma, according to a recent study.
• Smoking: A Guide for Teens - Center for Young Women's Health in Boston provides short factsheet aimed at teen women.
• Smoking and Women: The Next Wave of the Global Epidemic - World Health Organization fact sheet.
• Smoking: Effects on Mothers and Babies in West Virginia - Matched Birth and Death Certificate data tell a grim tale, and a short discussion gives the story behind the data.
• Smoking is a Women's Issue - Report from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids covers harm to women from tobacco products, promotion to women and girls by the tobacco industry.
• Smoking Is Ugly - Created Christy Turlington to raise awareness about the effects of smoking, smoking related diseases and lung cancer. "More women died of lung cancer in 2002 than of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer combined" Facts and quitting info.
• Smoking-Related Deaths On The Rise Among American, French Women - Smoking-related illnesses and deaths among American and French women have risen sharply in recent years, despite vigorous anti-smoking campaigns on a global scale, says a Penn State researcher.
• Tobacco Advertising and Women: Virginia Slims Advertising - You've come a long way baby. A collection of Virginia Slims ads shows how cigarettes were pushed in the 70's.
• Tobacco and Women's Health - Book review of book of same title.
• Tobacco as a Problem for Women - Collection of articles on tobacco impacts on women.
• Tobacco Companies Exploit Women, says WHO - Tobacco companies are exploiting women's struggle for equal rights by creating the impression that tobacco makes women more confident, more sexually attractive, and more in control of their own destiny, says a World Health Organization report.
• The Tobacco Reference Guide: Pregnancy and Fertility - Factsheets on tobacco and congenital anomalies, fertility and menopause, general effects, miscarriage, and low birth weight.
• The Tobacco Reference Guide: Women and Smoking - Current and historical trends documented from a book on tobacco.
• U.S. Tobacco Makers Targetted Women Since '20s - ABC News article provides a quick summary of the long history.
• Virginia SLAM! - Brief biography of Leslie Nuchow who began a counter movement against the Virginia Slims record label, Woman Thing Music.
• 16. Women and smoking - Chapter in a book on smoking in Australia.
• Women and Smoking - American Legacy Foundation tobacco education campaign features real women battling very real tobacco-related illnesses light emphysema, lung cancer, and throat cancer, and highlights their real parting letters to their family and loved ones.
• Women and Smoking - Discusses effects of smoking on women and the steps to smoking cessation.
• Women and Tobacco - WHO report. Women as the tobacco industry sees them; health effects of tobacco specific to women; women's brands and 'light' cigarettes.
• Women, Girls and Tobacco: The Global Facts and the Challenge - Short paper on women and tobacco; tobacco promotion to women and girls; global impact of tobacco on women; recommendations for action.
• Women's Health Project: Tobacco Advertising and Women - NOW Foundation fact sheet.
• Women's Magazines Cover Up Health Risks - Congressional testimony on why women's magazines, while reporting widely on health topics, have a near complete lack of coverage on smoking.
• "You've Gone the Wrong Way, Baby" - Women's smoking, targetting of women in tobacco marketing, and resulting cancer rates, with a focus on Canada.
• Women More Vulnerable To Tobacco Carcinogens, New Results Show - Women may be more vulnerable than men to the cancer-causing effects of smkoing tobacco, according to new results. (, 2009)
• Women More Vulnerable To Cigarette Harm - Twin studies reveal that women are more susceptible to lung disease caused by tobacco product. (March 5, 2009)
• Christy Turlington: Not Just A Cover Model- A Role Model - Turlington writes about her own story of tobacco addiction and losing a loved one to lung cancer.(May 14, 2001)
• This Kills Women: Do Feminist Groups Even Care? - Washington Post article examines why women's groups say little about the leading cause of preventable death among women; one factor covered is tobacco industry money accepted by women's groups. (April 11, 2001)
• The New Face of Tobacco: Women - Znet article surveys tobacco industry marketing to women in the US and worldwide. (February 14, 2001)
• You're Going Too Far, Baby: Cigarette Makers Woo Women in the Developing World - Village Voice article. Tobacco industry developed its "smoking = liberation" message for women in the U.S. in the 1970's; now it's exporting that message to promote tobacco to women globally. (August 15, 2000)
• OnHealth: Smokeless Tobacco Increases Breast Cancer Risk - Spit tobacco increases a woman's risk of breast cancer. (May 9, 2000)
• Why Cigarettes Can be a Woman's Worst Enemy - Smoking increases your risk of cervical and rectal cancer; worsens your period; damages your fertility; hurts your unborn baby; ages you; attacks your heart. (November 8, 1999)
• You've Come a Long Way...or Have You? - From the American Council on Science and Health a survey of 13 magazines over two years shows that women's magazines still downplaying health effects of smoking. The ratio of cigarette ads to articles on smoking is actually increasing. (March, 1999)

SMOKING AND WEIGHT LOSS-2

Gaining Weight after Quitting Tobacco

When smokers quit, it's not uncommon to gain a little weight. Excessive gain is avoidable though, and this section will help you with tips about how to keep your weight under control as you go through the process of quitting tobacco.

Life After Cigarettes

In her book, Life After Cigarettes, Dr. Cynthia Pomerleau explores the unique issues that face women when they want to quit smoking.

Two Years Smoke-Free

Weight gain often goes hand-in-hand with smoking cessation. Learning to let go enough to love ourselves even when we gain a few quit-related pounds is a part of the recovery process for many of us, and is poignantly reflected in this quit story from About.com Smoking Cessation support forum member, Dee.

Quitting Smoking and Weight Gain - 

Managing Weight Gain When …

For most of us, quitting smoking and weight gain go hand-in-hand. With some attention toward a healthy diet and a kitchen stocked with nutritious snacks however, you can manage nicotine withdrawal and beyond without gaining a lot of weight.

Smoking Cessation and Weight Gain

Learn how smoking affects metabolism and what you can do to minimize weight gain due to smoking cessation.

Smoking and Metabolism

The act of smoking increases a person's metabolic rate by forcing the heart to beat faster. When a cigarette is inhaled, the smoker's heart may beat 10 to 20 times more per minute for a period of time.

Weight Gain When You Quit Smoking -

Questions and Answers

Let's take a look at some of the commonly asked questions and answers regarding weight gain due to smoking cessation.

Why do People Gain Weight 

When They Quit Smoking?

Most people experience a small amount of weight gain when they quit smoking. This is due to metabolic changes our bodies go through when we quit. A gain of 5 to 10 pounds is normal.

What are the Health Risks of 

Weight Gain When I Quit Smoking?

If I quit smoking and gain weight, won't that be just as dangerous to my health as smoking is?

Why do I Want to Snack So

Much When I Quit Smoking?

I just quit smoking and I want to eat all of the time! It's frustrating and yet I can't seem to stop. Why does this happen and what can I do to avoid gaining a lot of weight?

Will Quit Aids Help Me Avoid 

Weight Gain When I Quit Smoking?

I'm so afraid I'll gain weight when I quit smoking. I've heard that Zyban or Wellbutrin will help me avoid weight gain. Is this true?

What Else Can I Do to Minimize

Weight Gain When I Quit Smoking?

I'm trying to be careful to eat a healthy diet. I've cut out a lot of junk foods and am eating more fruits and vegetables. What else can I do to minimize weight gain after I quit smoking?

The Chubster

Weight gain doesn't have to happen when one quits. I believe we have used smoking for so much emotional repression, that food just sort of takes the place of the fumes in filling the void.

Maia's Thoughts on Weight Loss

at Six Months Smoke Free

"Quitting smoking will create such amazing change in the rest of your life. It is not always an easy path, but it is SO worth it. I celebrated my 6 month milestone yesterday, and I can promise that I will NEVER go back to smoking."

10 Reasons it's Hard to Lose Weight

From About Guide to Exercise, Paige Waehner: "The idea behind weight loss is simple--burn more calories than you eat. This can be accomplished by replacing a couple of sodas with water and adding 20 minutes of walking each day. Sounds simple...and it is. If it's that simple, why can't we seem to do it?"

10 Tips to Control Portions

Healthy eating will help you avoid weight gain when you quit smoking. A well-balanced diet with plenty of water will also help to minimize the discomforts of nicotine withdrawal. Enjoy the foods you love, but don't overdo. These tips for controlling portion size come from About.com Guide to Weight Loss, Jennifer Scott.

Intuitive Eating

From About.com Guide to Alternative Medicine, Cathy Wong, N.D.: "The SAD diet (standard American diet) really is sad. Most of us consume so much damaged fat, toxic chemicals, sugar, and processed, unhealthy foods that we have lost touch with what our bodies really need."

15 Weight Loss Facts

Weight Loss Guide, Jennifer R. Scott shares 15 tips to help you get your weight loss program off to a good start.

The Top 10 Dieting Myths

From About.com Guide to Weight Loss, Jennifer R. Scott: "We've all heard them ... and, unfortunately, believed a few of them. From calorie counting to fending off fat, these are the 10 most common dieting myths ... and the true facts that will set the record straight."

The Top 50 Foods for Fat Fighters

Are you trying to lose some weight? About.com Guide to Weight Loss, Jennifer R. Scott has come up with this list of 50 low fat foods to stock your kitchen with.

Drinking Water to Maintain Good Health

From About.com Guide To Nutrition, Shereen Jegtvig: "Our bodies are estimated to be about 60 to 70% water. Blood is mostly water, and our muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. Water is needed to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to all our organs."

Weight Control and Diet

In-depth report on weight control and diet from A.D.A.M.

Explore the USDA Food Pyramid

From About.com Guide to Nutrition, Shereen Jegtvig: "Do you know which food groups make up the USDA food pyramid? Learn about the different food groups and what the best choices are for a healthy diet. Compare the USDA food pyramid to alternative food pyramids designed by leading universities."

Why You Need Cardio Exercise

People who quit smoking often become much more aware and interested in improving their health in general. Attention to your diet and daily exercise will help to reinforce your quit program.

DEVILSMOKE FACTFILE-4

 

Did You Know?

 

• The battle of smoking heated up in 1994, the 30th anniversary of the day cigarette packages started carrying the Surgeon General's warning.

• Smoking is related to about 419,000 deaths each year - American Cancer Society

• Second hand smoke can cause up to 3,000 lung-cancer deaths a year and 30,000 deaths from heart disease. From the Environmental Protection Agency.

• The Environmental Protection Agency says that : - burning tobacco is a cancer causing agent- smoke rising off a burning cigarette contains levels of 17 carcinogens (More dangerous than smoke the smoker inhales.)- tobacco also causes 12,000 non-lung cancer deaths in adults, 30,000 bronchitis and pneumonia cases in children under the age 18 months, and 8,000 to 26,000 cases of asthma in children each year.

• The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that : cigarette smoke is responsible for more deaths each year than ones caused by AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, cocaine, crack, heroin, fires, homicide, and suicide combined.

• Only 599 chemicals of the 700 that are really there were made public by tobacco companies. The rest were trade secrets. Eight of these concerned the FDA. they are methoprene (an insecticide), ammonia, ethyl furoate, and five food additives. Information provided by : Food and Drug Administration.

• 700 chemical additives are added to cigarettes, including pesticides, insecticides, and 13 additives that are inedible. Reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

• INFACT says that : More than 300 teens in the U.S. become smokers every day.

• People that work in sit-down restaurants that allow smoking face a 300-500% exposure rate than the average citizen in a smoking office. That is equivalent to smoking one and a half to two packs of cigarettes a day.

• Nicotine has a poisonous insecticide manufactured by the tobacco plant. Insects that eat the leaves of that plant die, because the poison jams their communication system. Humans are bigger and it takes 60mg of nicotine to have the same effect. The average cigarette contains 1mg of nicotine.

• Studies say African Amricans die from lung and throat cancer at a higher rate than whites.

• China is the world's leading producer of tobacco.

• Tobacco contains over 4,000 different chemicals.

• Large doses of nicotine can cause a decrease in the production of urine.

• The single largest preventable cause of premature death and disability in the United States is smoking.

• The costs for medical cost for smoking related illnesses is $22 billion.

• The economy losses $44 billion from lost productivity.

• Once nicotine reaches the lungs, its effects reach the brain within six seconds - twice as fast as mainlining heroin.

• Low tar and nicotine smokers have a mortality rate 16% lower than that of high tar and nicotine smokers.

• At least 12 million people in the United States use smokeless tobacco, half of them are regular users.

• Second-hand smoke causes about 2,400 lung cancer deaths a year.

• Studies show that non-smoking wives with smoking husbands have a 35% higher risk of lung cancer opposed to women with husbands who don't smoke.

• Five people die of smoking related deaths every six seconds.

• Children are twice as likely to become smokers if they grow up in homes with parents who smoke.

• Smoking causes 30% of all cancer deaths.

• The five year survival rate for lung cancer is 10%

• A pregnant woman who smokes two packs a day blocks off the equivalent of 25% of the oxygen supply to the fetus.

• Expecting mothers who smoke experience more stillbirths, spontaneous abortions, premature births, and low weight babies than that of expecting mothers that don't smoke.

• Cigarette smoking causes 75% of lung cancer cases among women, 85% among men, and 83% overall.

• There are many smoking sites on the Internet. Click here to visit one maintained by the Boston University Medical Center's COHIS program.

• Click here to visit other tobacco related Internet sites.