Fifty years after the release of the first Surgeon General's report on smoking and health, remarkable progress has been made. Since 1964, smoking prevalence among U.S. adults has been reduced by half. Unfortunately, tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States.
In January 2014, the Surgeon General released the 50th anniversary Surgeon General's Report on smoking and health. The report highlighted 50 years of progress in tobacco control and prevention, presented new data on the health consequences of tobacco use, and detailed initiatives that can end the tobacco use epidemic in the United States.
This past month the Acting Surgeon General, Dr. Boris Lushniak urged new resolve to end smoking by increasing use of proven tobacco-control measures, including price hikes and the expansion of comprehensive indoor-smoking bans. In the shadow of the anniversary of this critical report and the new recommendations, NCI is pleased to present two researchers whose work captures the direction suggested by the Surgeon General’s report.
Dr. Michelle C. Kegler, a Professor at Rollins School of Public Health and the Director of the Emory Prevention Research Center (EPRC), will share her work on “Testing and Disseminating a Brief Intervention to Promote Smoke-Free Homes through 2-1-1”. The home is still a major source of exposure to secondhand smoke among nonsmokers and children, particularly in low-income households. This presentation will describe the development, testing and dissemination of a brief intervention to create smoke-free homes in low-income families using 2-1-1. Results from an efficacy trial will be shared, along with plans for replication studies and national dissemination through 2-1-1 systems.
In her presentation, Dr. Emily McDonald from the University of California San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education will share research that examines the everyday experiences and opinions of young adults using e-cigarettes in New York City. Based on qualitative interviews and ethnographic participant observation, she explored what young adults know about e-cigarettes and the kinds of information utilized in deciding whether or not to use the devices. In an environment with no official warnings or educational campaigns, young adults may rely on e-cigarette marketing messages, as well as their own bodily sensations, in assessing product safety. Her work suggests that users may interpret a lack of regulation as tacit approval of e-cigarettes.
Drs. Kegler and McDonald will share their perspectives on smoking cessations, barriers to quitting, and tools for reaching smokers. The final part of the webinar will be dedicated to Q&A and discussion and will offer an opportunity to engage with the presenters, and also to share your own experiences and thoughts.
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Learning Objectives
At the end of the cyber-seminar, participants will be able to:
- describe the development, testing and dissemination of an intervention to create smoke-free homes for low-income families using 2-1-1.
- understand the impact of e-cigarette marketing on young people and possible strategies to prevent uptake of e-cigarettes among young adults
- identify new tools and resources for reaching smokers and those most at risk of tobacco dependence.
