CDC unveils new anti-smoking campaign
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched their latest nationwide tobacco education campaign earlier this week. This year’s campaign continues the 2012 theme of Tips From Former Smokers and includes compelling images of real men and women living with the effects of smoking including amputation, false teeth, using a stoma to breath and more.
Read and watch their stories here.
“It is so unfortunate when we have patients with incurable diseases with no preventable cause but then see so many illnesses that are preventable by not smoking,” says Dr. Allan Griffith, of Advocate Medical Group in Normal, Ill. “So many barely curable diseases are caused by smoking, yet so many smokers just don’t believe it will happen to them.”
The CDC reports that smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, killing more than 480,000 Americans each year. According to the National Cancer Institute, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer among men and women in the United States. Ninety-percent of cancer deaths among men and 80 percent among women are due to smoking.
This year’s campaign will feature three new health conditions: smoking during pregnancy, gum disease and smoking with HIV.
A study published in the medical journal, The Lancet, looked at the effectiveness of the 2012 Tips From Former Smokers campaign. It indicated that an estimated 1.64 million Americans tried to quit smoking because of the campaign and at least 100,000 were expected to stay quit.
If you would like more information about quitting smoking, call 1.877.44U.QUIT or visit smokefree.gov. You can also contact your physician to discuss what options might be best for you.
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About the Author
Lynn Hutley, health enews contributor, is coordinator of public affairs and marketing at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center and Advocate Eureka Hospital in central Illinois. Having grown up in a family-owned drug store, it is no surprise that Lynn has spent almost 18 years working in the health care industry. She has a degree in human resources management from Illinois State University and is always ready to tackle Trivia Night.
Good for the CDC! I used to disparage the anti-smoking campaigns and campaigners until I quit smoking because I needed dental implants. I couldn’t chew food properly and that was negatively affecting my digestive system. My dentist told me that nicotine deteriorates the artificial bone that is used for implants, I looked it up, and he was absolutely correct. However, the reason I needed those implants was recurring gum disease that affected my teeth so that five of them had to be extracted. About a month after I quit smoking I started having shortness of breath routinely, even when I was just sitting, that just got progressively worse. While I was smoking I would very seldom get short of breath and usually only after exertion. Anyway, after six months of it getting worse I finally saw a doctor and was diagnosed with mild emphysema for which I went to pulmonary rehab and have been on Spiriva. So I guess you could call me a very lucky poster “child” who exhibited two of the problems that smoking causes – gum disease and emphysema, neither of which is as bad as it could have been. BTW – I smoked for 61 years before quitting so I’m not just lucky, I’m EXTREMELY lucky that things aren’t worse.
Judith,
Sorry for your smoking related health issues but so glad you quit smoking – it really is an evil product. I hope you continue to improve as your lungs heal.
Sobering stuff. It’s hard to imagine that kids still want to take that first puff of a cigarette.
I wonder, if strictly for nothing more than informational purposes, CDCP will consider a campaign parading the photos of unborn fetuses as a result of abortions. My guess is probably not.
I’m not exactly sure or comfortable where you are going with that last statement Jefferson, whether its an actual suggestion or rhetorical critique. If individuals wish to be displayed, or have the right to display something’s remains, for objective education then I am all for a person right to choose that and exercise their first amendment rights. On the other hand, while it might be their protected right, I find it morally deplorable for people to add personal attacks, like “you’re going to die a horrible death or become grotesquely disfigured”, or “you’re going to hell” just to inflict fear and panic into another person to force an ideology. “Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.”-Napoleon Bonaparte. To decide for ourselves and make the choices we can is a liberty we cannot afford to lose. Understanding the objective risks inherent in our decisions is a corner stone of making good choices, but personal attacks and fear mongering to the point of in-escapable exposure is morally reprehensible no matter the person’s or organization’s intentions.
Jefferson,
We’re all entitled to our opinions but your suggested topic is SO not related to this article. Giving women control over their bodies as well as having CHOICES are critical.
Remember that, please.
I do remember that. But information is information. So, it related. As a matter of fact, if you read my comment you would find I prefaced the comment as such.