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Great American Smokeout

Volume 1, Number 9 - November, 1997

Editors: Carol A. Rice, Ph.D., RN, Professor and Extension Health Specialist, and Janet M. Pollard, MPH, Extension Associate-Health

Inside HealthHints....

• Great American Smokeout
• The Cost of Smoking
• A Million Dollar Habit
• Tobacco and Your Body
• Spit Tobacco
• Smokeless Tobacco Among Our Texas Youth: 4-H'er Findings
• The Benefits of Quitting Tobacco
• Tips for Quitting Tobacco
• Getting Through the First Weeks Without Tobacco
• WEIGHing the Issue
• Secondhand Smoke
• The Law on Tobacco in Texas
• Smoking, Pregnancy and Parenting
• Tobacco Use Among Texas Students Grades 7 to 12
• Ideas to Get You Started
• Activity Ideas
• Extension Resources
• More Resources
• Resource People for County Extension Agents
• Agent Highlights
• Websites with Reliable Information
• References

Great American Smokeout

This month's health observance is the Great American Smokeout -- scheduled for Thursday, November 20, 1997.

The Great American Smokeout, facilitated by the American Cancer society, is the day each year when smokers and non-smokers alike commit to keeping our society and our children smoke-free. For smokers, the Great American Smokeout is a day to prove to themselves that they can quit by putting up their cigarettes and other tobacco products for the day.

Nonsmokers can join in the Smokeout by adopting relatives, friends, and co-workers to help them quit for the day.

Students can join in the Great American SmokeScream in schools across the U.S. Thursday, November 20, 1997. Students will be screaming out against tobacco use to help draw attention to the reasons youth shouldn't start smoking.

Call your local schools, or the local American Cancer Society to see if the SmokeScream is organized in your community or how you can help to get it going.

The Cost of Smoking

Smoking is the largest single, preventable cause of death and disability in the U.S. Using tobacco increases the risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease, and emphysema. Children living in homes with smokers have higher rates of ear infections, asthma, colds, and bronchitis.

Most smokers begin during their teenage years, become addicted to nicotine, and smoke an average of 30 cigarettes a day for an average of 50 years. Only 3 to 5 percent of those who try to quit succeed. The most successful method of quitting has been going "cold turkey."

A typical smoker buys over half a million cigarettes, costing about $50,000 over a lifetime. A one-pack-a-day smoker spends $1,000-$1,200 each year on cigarettes.

A Million Dollar Habit

Did you know that if you are 18 years old and smoke a pack of cigarettes a day you could be losing out on $1,000,000. Making the assumption that cigarettes cost $2 per pack and that their price will rise 10% per year, Dallas Morning News columnist, Scott Burns, explains that an 18 year old saving the $2 she would have spent on a pack of cigarettes every day could yield $1,000,000 by her mid-60s...a nice little nest egg!

If she can earn 10% interest, her investment will double every seven years. Here's the result:

Age	Cigarette Savings Fund
18	$0
31	$35,000
38	$70,000
45	$140,000
52	$280,000
59	$560,000
66	$1,120,000

But, 18 year olds are not the only ones who can benefit. Anyone can see payoffs by using this savings and investment plan. In addition to creating monetary savings, you'll increase your chances of being around to spend them (Burns,1997).

Tobacco and Your Body

Use of tobacco products causes blood pressure and heart rate to increase, and narrows the blood vessels to the heart. Continued use of tobacco injures the blood vessels in the body. Ultimately, the effects of tobacco use become clear in the form of addiction, then heart attacks, strokes, and cancer (American Heart Association).

How much greater is the smoker's risk of dying from a major disease?

• Stroke -- 2 times risk
• Mouth Cancer -- 6 times risk
• Larynx Cancer -- 10 times risk
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease -- 10 times risk
• Lung Cancer -- 12 times risk
• Coronary Heart Disease -- 2 times risk

(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1989)

Spit Tobacco

Spit tobacco use is not an acceptable alternative to smoking. - Texas Spit Tobacco Education and Prevention Plan: A Guide for Action, 1997

Spit tobacco causes cancer, oral diseases, and increased health risks. The oral effects of spit tobacco are the most immediate and visibly manifested. These oral effects include: attrition of tooth structure, staining, halitosis (bad breath), gingival recession (recession of the gums), leukoplakia (spit tobacco-induced lesions in the form of a white patch), and cancer of the mucous membranes.

In addition to these oral effects, other effects may cause damage to the cardiovascular, endocrinologic, and neurologic systems, as well as psychological effects associated with nicotine. A number of studies also cite effects on reproduction and longevity (Texas Spit Tobacco Education and Prevention Plan: A Guide for Action, 1997).

Smokeless Tobacco Among our Texas Youth: 4-H'er Findings

4-H participants in the Smokeless Tobacco Prevention Youth Peer Education Pilot Program in Fort Bend County conducted observational surveys at the Houston Livestock Show and the San Antonio Livestock Show in February of 1997. Twenty-five percent (25%) of minors were chewing, dipping, spitting, or carrying smokeless tobacco products at the San Antonio Livestock Show. Twenty- eight percent (28%) of minors were involved with smokeless tobacco products at the Houston Livestock Show. That translates into 1 in 4 youth were observed using smokeless tobacco products.

4-Hers and their parents participated in a sting operation with an "attempt to purchase" smokeless tobacco products in the Rosenberg and Richmond area. Four teams visited 29 businesses. In the youth's "Attempt to Buy Sting", 41% attempts to purchase products were successful: 65% of the clerks asked for ID/age; 69% of the clerks were male; 52% displayed prohibited signs.

(Highlight provided by Teresa Smith, Extension Associate - Health Education)

Note: County Extension Agents received a Leader's Guide entitled "Smokeless Tobacco Prevention: Youth Peer Education Program" at the 1997 Institute. Contact Teresa Smith for additional copies.

The Benefits of Quitting Tobacco

Health Benefits

• less risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and emphysema
• increased energy (able to walk and climb stairs without losing breath)
• greater sense of well-being
• fewer colds or flu each year
• reduced number of coughs, colds, and earaches among your children

Economic Benefits

• more money to spend or save
• less sickness, medical expense, and damage to possessions
• more job opportunities

Social Benefits

• improved appearance of skin, teeth, and fingers (fewer wrinkles and less yellowing)
• fresher-smelling clothes, hair, breath, home, and car
• more self-confidence and influence with others -- a sense of control over your life (Proctor, 1987, Department of Health and Human Services, 1992).

Tips for Quitting Tobacco

Getting Ready to Quit

• Set a definite date and time for quitting. Choose a date within the next four weeks that you will quit. Write the date and time down.
• If possible, have a friend quit tobacco with you.
• Observe when and why you use tobacco. Notice the things you do while you use tobacco (e.g., smoking while drinking your morning coffee or driving your car, etc.).
• Change your tobacco use routines. For instance, keep your cigarettes or other tobacco products in a different place; smoke with your other hand; don't do anything else while you smoke. Think about how you feel when you use tobacco.
• Try using tobacco only in certain places, such as outdoors.
• When you want a cigarette or other tobacco product, wait a few minutes. Try to think of something else to do; you might try chewing gum or drinking water.
• Buy one pack of cigarettes or can of snuff at a time (wait until you've completely finished the pack before buying another.) Switch to a brand of tobacco you don't like (preferably one with less nicotine); that way you may want to use it less -- at least you'll begin to lessen the nicotine addiction.

On the Day you Quit

• Get rid of all your tobacco products. Put away your ashtrays or spit cans.
• Change your morning routine. When you eat breakfast, don't sit in the same place at the table. Stay busy.
• When you get the urge to use tobacco chew do something else instead.
• Carry other things in your mouth, such as gum, hard candy, or a toothpick.
• Reward yourself at the end of the day for not using tobacco. See a movie or enjoy your favorite meal.

Staying Quit

• Don't worry if you're sleepier or more short-tempered than usual; these feelings will pass.
• Try to exercise -- take walks, ride a bike, or any other physical activity you enjoy.
• Consider the positive aspects of quitting tobacco (e.g., health benefits for you and your family, example you set for others around you, money saved). A positive attitude will help you through the tough times.
• When you feel tense, try to keep busy. Tell yourself that tobacco use will not make it any better, and go do something else.
• Eat regular meals. Feeling hungry is sometimes mistaken for the desire to smoke. Try to eat healthy -- carrot sticks, dill pickles, fruit juice, or popcorn can be a healthy snack when needed.
• Start a money jar with the money you save by not purchasing cigarettes or other tobacco products.
• Let others know that you have quit tobacco -- most people will support you and help keep you accountable for your decision. Some of your friends that use tobacco may want to know how you've quit. It's good to talk to others about your quitting.
• If you slip, don't get discouraged. Just start again right then. Many former tobacco users have tried to stop several times before finally succeeding. Quit again. (National Institutes for Health, 1993).

Getting Through the First Weeks Without Tobacco

Here are a few tips on how some have dealt with tobacco withdrawal symptoms. Remember, no two people are alike -- you may have these or other withdrawal symptoms. Remember, these problems don't last long. Once you get through the first couple of weeks, you'll be on your way to feeling a lot better.

If you have...	Try...
Dry mouth, cough, or sore throat	cold water, fruit juice, tea, gum, cough drops, or hard candy
Headaches	a warm bath or shower, deep breathing, cold compresses
Constipation	roughage, like raw fruits, vegetables, bran and cereal; also, 6 to 8 glasses of water each day
Hunger	low-calorie snacks, such as, 1 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cantaloupe, 1 frozen fruit bar, 1 peach, 1 pear, 1 apple, 1 banana, 1 carrot, 1/2 cup canned pineapple, 1 cup fresh pineapple, 1 cup blueberries, 3 cups popcorn (no butter), 2 graham crackers, 6 wheat thins, 1/2 bagel or english muffin, 1 bran muffin, 1/2 cup shredded or puffed wheat (without milk), or 1/4 cup raisins.
Irritability	nicotine chewing gum, relaxation exercises, warm shower, brisk walk or other physical activity
Cravings for tobacco	low-calorie snacks, nicotine chewing gum, glass of cold water or diet soda; also try the 4 D's when you have tobacco cravings: Delay, Deep breath, Drink water, Do something to take your mind off tobacco.
(American Lung Association, 1987)

WEIGHing the issue

One of the consequences of most concern when quitting tobacco is weight gain. So, let's look at the real issue.

It's true...

• nearly 80% of those who quit smoking gain weight.

However...

• 56% of those who continue to smoke also gain weight!

Additionally...

• the average weight gain after quitting is just 5 pounds; only 3.5% of those who quit gain more than 20 pounds after quitting (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1991).

Keys to quitting tobacco without the weight concern...

• Realize that giving up tobacco is much healthier for you than adding a few extra pounds. (It would take 75 extra pounds to offset the health benefits that a normal smoker gains by quitting.)
• Quitting does not automatically mean you'll gain weight. People often gain weight because they've begun to eat more when they quit. There are steps you can take to avoid this in the points below.
• Start a diet program when preparing to quit.
• Don't set your quit date for a holiday when temptation of high calorie food and drink may be highest.
• Weigh yourself daily.
• Plan menus carefully and count calories.
• Have low-calorie foods on hand for nibbling (e.g., dill pickles, carrots, other vegetables, vegetable juices, fruits, fruit juices, popcorn, etc.)
• Take time for daily exercise, or join an organized exercise group (American Heart Association, 1989). (Keep in mind, activities like mowing the lawn or gardening can be considered physical activity if they get you moving and get your heart rate up.)

Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke exhaled by smokers and the smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. You also may have heard it called environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), passive, or involuntary smoke. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 substances. Many of them are dangerous poisons and can cause cancer. Anyone exposed to secondhand smoke inhales these substances. - American Lung Association, 1992

Secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer, and has been deemed a Group A carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency -- a rating only for substances (e.g. asbestos) proven to cause cancer in humans.

Secondhand smoke will cause thousands of deaths in the next year. About 6,200 children die each year as a result of parental smoking. Of these deaths, 2,800 are linked to low birth weight as a result of smoking while pregnant; 2,000 are linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); 1,100 are caused by respiratory infections; 250 caused by burns from fires ignited by cigarettes, matches, or lighters; and 14 caused by asthma.

Of U.S. children, 43% aged 2 months to 11 years live in homes where at least one person smokes. Each year, mothers who smoke at least 10 cigarettes a day cause 8,000-26,000 new cases of asthma among their children. Additionally, each year 15,000-30,000 lower respiratory tract infections develop due to secondhand smoke exposure. And, each year secondhand smoke kills approximately 53,000 Americans...the same number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War (Texas Department of Health, 1997).

In the Home

Tobacco smoke in your home is a threat to everyone.

• Nonsmokers who live with smokers are more likely to develop lung cancer than other nonsmoking adults.
• If you have asthma, secondhand smoke can make breathing problems worse.
• Children exposed to secondhand smoke in the home are more likely to cough, wheeze, have ear infections, colds, pneumonia, and asthma.
• Children exposed to secondhand smoke in the home are also more likely to have learning problems and other school problems, such as social adjustment.
• A baby exposed to secondhand smoke in the home is more likely to have lung disease serious enough to require hospital treatment in the first two years of life.
• A baby exposed to secondhand smoke in the home also is at increased risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (American Lung Association, 1992, American Cancer Society, 1986, American Cancer Society, 1991).

Protect Your Family at Home

You can protect your family at home by following a few simple steps.

• Don't allow smoking in your home. If someone must smoke, ask that it be done outside, or at least limited to a separately ventilated room.
• Place "Thank You for Not Smoking" signs around your home.
• Do not allow babysitters or others who work in the home to smoke in the house.
• Be supportive -- help smoker to quit.

On the Job

You can work for clean air in your workplace. If your workplace does not have a no smoking policy, you may want to try the following:

• Find out your company's smoking and smokeless tobacco policy.
• Ask what steps have been taken to protect the nonsmoker from secondhand smoke.
• Be a leader. Help your employer draw up a fair plan for a smoke-free workplace.
• Ask co-workers what they want and would be willing to do.
• If your workplace is not smoke-free, use "thank you for not smoking" signs in your work area.
• Know the law, some workplaces may already be covered by a law prohibiting smoking (American Lung Association, 1992 , American Cancer Society, 1986).

The Law on Tobacco in Texas

Clean Indoor Air

The following laws apply to tobacco restrictions at indoor settings in Texas:

• Public places: smoking is restricted to designated areas in enclosed theaters or movie houses, libraries, museums, transit system or intrastate buses, planes, and trains.
• Schools: Students are prohibited from smoking or using tobacco products on school property or at any off-campus school-sanctioned activity. Smoking or possession of a burning tobacco product is restricted to designated areas in public primary and secondary schools.
• Government buildings: no restrictions on tobacco.
• Private workplaces: no restrictions on tobacco.
• Day Care: no restrictions on tobacco.
• Restaurants: no restrictions on tobacco.

Youth Access

The minimum age for sales of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco is 18.

A person commits an offense if the person, as a commercial enterprise sells or causes to be sold a tobacco product to someone the person knows to be younger than 18, or someone they know intends to deliver to someone younger than 18.

Currently, there is no state-wide penalty to the minor attempting to purchase or the minor in possession of tobacco. Contact your local police department to find out if there is a city ordinance to issue a citation and fine to the minor (State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues, 1996).

Smoking, Pregnancy and Parenting

If you are pregnant or planning a family, here are 3 good reasons to quit smoking now:

1. Smoking retards the growth of your child in the womb. Infants born to women who smoke average 6 ounces less in birth weight than infants born to nonsmoking women. This happens because nicotine constricts the blood vessels, thereby reducing the amount of food and oxygen to the baby, and; carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases reduces the oxygen level in the baby's blood. Additionally, vitamin metabolism is disrupted. Although weight can be quickly regained after birth, a follow-up study found that seven-year-old children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy were shorter in average stature, tended to have retarded reading ability, and rated lower in "social adjustment" than children of mothers that did not smoke during pregnancy.
2. Smoking increases the incidence of infant mortality. Studies have shown a direct relationship between smoking and incidence of spontaneous abortions and stillbirths.
3. Your family needs healthy parents. Whether you are a single mom, or a couple, parenting is a great responsibility. Most parents manage to stay healthy and alive until their children are grown and educated. Smokers, however, subject themselves to a much greater risk of death, and secondhand smoke from parents can result in problems for children (American Cancer Society, 1986, American Cancer Society, 1991, American Lung Association).

Ideas to Get You Started

As an individual: Reach out and offer help, compassion, and support to a smoker trying to quit.

As a group: Make a motion to ban smoking at your group meetings.

As a neighborhood: Form a support group for smokers trying to quit.

Activity Ideas

Gasping for Air

Almost all cases of emphysema are due to cigarette smoking. The Gasping for Air activity will help participants to understand what it feels like to have emphysema.

Materials: one wrapped straw for each participant

Participation: Give each participant a straw, and ask them to remove the wrapping. Have each participant place the straw in his/her mouth. Ask each participant to pinch his/her nostrils closed and breathe only through the straw in the mouth.

Caution: Explain that if any difficulty exists with breathing, they can stop the activity at any time.

Next: Participants are to breathe through the straw for one minute. After about 30 seconds, and continuing to breathe only through the straw, have participants look around at each other. (This should cause some laughing while still attempting to breathe through the straw.)

Experience: After the minute is up, ask participants to describe what it was like to breathe through the straw. (They will tell you it was difficult to breathe.) Explain that this is what it feels like to breathe when a person has emphysema. Ask them if it was harder to breathe through the straw when they started laughing. Ask them to consider how difficult it might be to go up a flight of stairs (or do other common activities) if they had to breath like this (Meeks, 1995).

Smoke in the Air

This activity only takes 5 minutes, and is a good way to help people understand the implications of secondhand smoke.

Materials: spray bottle filled with water; tar stained handkerchief.

Demonstration: Spray water from the spray bottle into the air as you move around the room.

Participation: Ask participants how they would react if they thought you were spraying perfume? A deadly poison? A virus? Tobacco smoke?

Demonstration: Show participants the handkerchief through which a smoker has exhaled tobacco smoke (be sure to have a smoker do this ahead of time).

Explanation: Explain that the tar in the tobacco smoke made the stains. The smoke in the handkerchief had already been in the lungs of the smoker. Ask what this tells the nonsmoker about exhaled smoke from smokers? (It is harmful to everyone.)

Explain that secondhand smoke is the smoke that's in the air when tobacco is being smoked. Nicotine is also present in the secondhand smoke. Tar, nicotine, and other harmful substances in tobacco smoke pose a health threat to nearby nonsmokers (adults, children, even family pets are affected). See the newsletter section entitled secondhand smoke for health implications (Scheer, 1996).

Extension Resources

Tobacco

Exhibits

(Can be checked out from the district office, urban county office, and Educational Resource Library.)

• Smoking and Youth. Spanish and English (1995)
• Smokeless Tobacco. With Mr. Dip Lip Model/ Bilingual (1995)

Teaching Resources

• Smokeless Tobacco Flip Chart. Highlights the dangers of smokeless tobacco, including deadly mouth cancers, severe dental problems, and dangerous heart conditions. (1996)
• Medical Hazards of Smokeless Tobacco Display and carrying case. This very graphic display delivers an amazing series of images that show how "smokeless" is the most harmful nicotine induction vehicle. It defines what smokeless tobacco is, and then tells how it is used. It also demonstrates some oral health problems and displays additional dangers of smokeless tobacco. (1996)
• Smoking Effects and Hazards Display and overheads with carrying case. This display shows why tobacco is America's #1 health problem. It helps viewers understand the initial and long-term effects of nicotine and smoke by-products on the human body. Dispels myths about smoking while showing how to quit, step by step, and how to avoid getting started in the first place. (1996)
• Death of a Lung. The first model in this display shows, regular contours and healthy color of the normal, nonsmoker's lung tissue. The second model depicts the soft, irregular shape and blackened color of tissue from an emphysematous lung, with collapsing air sacs within the lung wall like the ones that will eventually smother the smoker. In the third model, cancer of the lung appears as a large, whitish-gray mass. (1996)
• Second Hand Smoke Demo. This model collects the tars in secondhand smoke from a cigarette smoked in an enclosed chamber. The residue collected on a filter measurably demonstrates how much cancerous smoke a nonsmoker's lungs absorb from someone else's cigarette. (1996)
• Project 4-Health Tobacco Action Club Leader's Manual with video. This award-winning, classroom-tested curriculum includes a 140 page teacher's resource book and a 15-minute video centered around six experience-based activities for presentation by adults or older teens acting as youth mentors. Grades 4 to 8. (1996)
• 1996 Smokeless Tobacco Prevention Competition Youth Video.
  The following counties presented skits pertaining to smokeless tobacco:
  Fort Bend County presents "Perils of Pearl White"
  Polk County presents "Kickin with Kee Kee"
  Deaf Smith County presents "Choices That Are Affecting Our Youth Today," "Diperella," "Nursery Rhymes, Story Times With the Nanny"
• Smokeless Tobacco Prevention Youth Peer Education Program. This program gives youth the opportunity to learn more about the basic facts of smokeless tobacco and the influence of peers, role models, and the tobacco industry on tobacco use. Youth will develop a statement or message to influence other youth NOT to start or continue using smokeless tobacco products. (1996)
• Starting Free Good Air For Me Preschool Smoking Prevention Package. This packet is designed especially with the developmental needs of preschool children in mind. It features five colorful story books, three hand puppets, a bright poster for your classroom, stickers and home activity sheets. This package offers everything you'll need to enchant and delight your children at the same time that you help them form positive attitudes about growing up smoke-free. (American Cancer Society 1996)
• STAT's Spit Tobacco Speakers guide and slide Supplement. 1 per district, urban office, Educational Resource Library. This is a resource for preparing and delivering presentations aimed at preventing/reducing tobacco use for children and teens and thereby reducing their future cancer risk. Target audiences are students, 4-H members, PTAs, school committees, and other organizations. Includes professionally produced color slides, instructional text, and fact sheets.
• STAT's Speakers Guide and Slide Collection (tobacco). 1 per district, urban office, Educational Resource Library. A comprehensive look at spit tobacco including an historical perspective, statistics, marketing practices, health effects and important messages youth need to know to reduce their use and thereby their future cancer risk.
• Mr. Dip Lip. 1 per district, urban office, Educational Resource Library. Gross them out with Mr. Gross Mouth! This hinged model of the teeth, tongue, and oral cavity accurately shows the effects of using smokeless tobacco. A bottle of tobacco juice, games with each model, and instructions show how to make the tongue "spit." This model is three times actual size and is mounted on a wooden base.
• Tobacco: Biology and Politics curricula. 1 per district, urban office, Educational Resource Library. History of tobacco and a detailed description of how nicotine affects the body and causes a deadly addiction. Invaluable in teaching students the lifelong risks of tobacco. For added emphasis, a 40 image slide show, overhead transparencies and accompanying script, and a video complement the program.
• For Hispanic Youth Mirame/Look At Me! 1 per district and Educational Resource Library. Reach Hispanic Kids with video sessions, group discussion guides, hands on activities and take home exercises. Teach 9-13 year olds the consequences of healthy and unhealthy behaviors.`
• Enough Snuff-Self Help Guide for Quitting. 2 per district, urban office, Educational Resource Library. 50 page manual effective in helping snuff or chewing tobacco users quit. The guide describes easy to follow steps that have proven successful with chewers and dippers alike.

Videos

(May be checked out from the AV library)

• Take Action! Teen Voices for Change (VHS 2159). 1 per district, urban office, Educational Resource Library. Follow three groups of teens as they advocate for change and plan and conduct activities that address a variety of tobacco issues. Includes a brochure on how to use the video for recruitment and training along with a list of additional resources.
• Death in the West video. 1 per district, urban office, Educational Resource Library. The film increases perception of the hazards of smoking and discourages young viewers from beginning to smoke, thereby reducing their risk of cancer in the future. A classroom tested curriculum guide is included. Grades 4 to Adult. 32 minutes.
• "The Feminine Mistake: The Next Generation." Demonstrates how today's young women are still being seduced by tobacco industry advertising or are being persuaded to smoke by their peers. Learn the results of current research on women and smoking from medical experts and witness how women smokers are suffering.
• "Hugh McCabe: Coach's final Lesson." Includes teacher's guide. Documents the final year in the life of junior high school teacher and coach Hugh McCabe. A victim of lung cancer after years of smoking, McCabe tells his story as a "final lesson" on the effects of smoking.
• "Smoking' Sam" (English or Spanish). A roller blade hockey champion who plays for a team sponsored by Trophy cigarettes, has a secret he doesn't want his fans to know -- he smokes. Two clever eleven year old students find out and with a little help from the school nurse, a doctor and a friendly ad man, they decide to confront him.
• "Mouseology." Animated film that highlights the realities of smoking, and exposes the impulses that manipulate those addicted. Represented as a mouse, addition is revealed as a programmed desire that attacks the mind and forces the body to act contrary to common sense.

More Resources

Other Tobacco resources from the American Cancer Society. Call 1-800-ACS-2345.

• Answering the Most Often Asked Questions about Smoking and Lung Cancer (50 frequently asked Q&A)
• Don't Smoke-Rap on Smoking (video, grades 4 to 9)
• Smart Move (video with script, Q&A about tobacco, 1 hour single session materials to help smokers quit
• FreshStart (4 sessions to help smokers quit)
• Smokers Tip Sheet (by former smokers)
• When Smokers Quit (leaflet describing benefits to the body when a person quits for 8 years to 10 years)
• A New Beginning (video and teacher's guide about smoking hazards during pregnancy, grades 7 to 12)
• Special Delivery - Smoke Free (resources to help pregnant women who smoke quit)

Available from the American Heart Association. Call 512-433-7130 or 1-800-242-8721.

• Getting to Know Your Heart, Smoking and Your Body Module [5 videos, grades 4 to 6 ($2.50 each), separate curricula for grades 1 to 3 and 4 to 6, ($20 each)] Available from the American Lung Association. Call 512-346-9308 or 1-800-252-LUNG.
• Be Smart..Don't Start (video, addiction, peer pressure, advertising, Elementary to Senior High)
• Death in the West (video, Marlboro Man vs. 6 real American cowboys' deaths)
• The Feminine Mistake (video, for female smokers)
• For a Change (video, effects of smoking on the body)
• Hugh McCabe: The Coach's Final Lesson (video, a coach diagnosed with lung cancer)
• Students Teaching About Risks of Smoking (STARS) (peer education by high school students for 4th to 6th graders)
• On the Air - A Guide to Creating a Smoke-free Workplace Policy

Available from the National Cancer Institute. Call 1-800-4-CANCER and select the first prompt.

• Chew or Snuff is Real Bad Stuff: A Guide to Make Young People Aware of the Dangers of Using Smokeless Tobacco (lesson plan for teachers)
• School Programs to Prevent Smoking: The National Cancer Institute Guide to Strategies that Succeed (guide with 8 essential elements of successful school-based prevention programs)
• Smoking Policy: Questions and Answers (ten fact sheets about the establishment of worksite smoking policies)
• Rompa Con El Vicio: Una Guia Para Dejar De Fumar (a self-help smoking cessation booklet)
• I Mind Very Much if You Smoke (pamphlet about secondhand smoke)
• Smoking Facts and Quitting Tips for Black Americans
• Why do You Smoke? (A self-test to determine why people smoke -- suggestions for quitting)
• Datos Y Consejos Para Dejar De Fumar (pamphlet on health risks, quitting tips, and staying quit)
• Beat the Smokeless Habit (a nine-inning game plan on how to break the habit)

Available from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information. Call 310-468-2600 or 1-800-729-6686.

• It's Time to Stop Being a Passive Victim (information kit) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• The performance edge (Tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs prevention packet/program) by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Available from the Texas Department of Health - Office of Smoking and Health. Call 512-458-7402 or 1-800-345-8647. Regional Specialists are available to present or assist with your programming.

• African Americans and Smoking (brochure on smoking behavior among African-Americans, health consequences, advertising)
• El Tabaco y Su Boca (Tobacco and Your Mouth -- pamphlet describes and shows pictures of tobacco's effect on the mouth)
• Hispanic/Latino-Americans and Smoking (brochure on smoking behavior among Hispanic/Latino Americans, health consequences, advertising)
• Usted Puede Ayudar a un Fumardor a Dejar el Cigarillo (brochure outlines reasons for quit including personal health and the health of one's family)
• Healthy Moms, Healthy Kids/Madres Sanas, Ninos Sanos (fold-out booklet against mothers smoking or letting others smoke around their children)
• How to Say No to Second-hand Smoke (suggestions on how to ask others not to smoke around you)
• Tobacco: Babies Under Attack (booklet detailing dangers to babies of smoking mothers)
• Breaking the Habit (Tips on quitting, handling urges, controlling withdrawal symptoms, etc.)

Resource People for County Extension Agents

The following is a list of Regional Coordinators from the Texas Department of Health, Office of Tobacco Prevention and Control. These individuals can help you with programs and programming ideas regarding tobacco issues.

Public Health Region 1
Sherri Scott
1109 Kemper Street
Lubbock, TX 79403
office: (806) 767-0309
fax: (806) 744-1942

Public Health Region 2/3
Karyn Briggs
1351 E. Barin Street
Arlington, TX 76017
office: (817) 264-4561
fax: (817) 264-4049

Public Health Region 4/5
Lana Harriman
1517 West Front Street
Tyler, TX 75701
office: (903) 533-5225
fax: (903) 533-5367

Public Health Region 6
Katherine Taylor
5425 Polk, Suite J
Houston, TX 77023
office: (713) 767-3462
fax: (713) 767-3435

Public Health Region 7
Sylvia Barron
2408 37th Street
Temple, TX 76504-7168
office: (254) 778-6744
fax: (254) 778-4066

Public Health Region 8
Patricia Hohertz
7430 Louis Pasteur
San Antonio, TX 78229
office: (210) 949-2161
fax: (210) 949-2010

Public Health Region 9/10
Rebecca Zima
6070 Gateway East, Suite 401
El Paso, TX 79905
office: (915) 774-6273
fax: (915) 774-6280

Public Health Region 11
Dora Del Toro
601 West Sesame Drive
Harlingen, TX 78550
office: (956) 423-0130
fax: (956) 423-3291

Agent Highlights

Camp County adult probationers received 15 hours of community service upon successful completion of the Camp County Extension Service Wellness Program conducted by County Extension Agent, Tina Ford.

Fifteen people participated in the monthly programs that included the low-fat express, food guide pyramid, smoking and smokeless tobacco and money management. Pre and post test were administered at each meeting with an increased score on each of the post tests. One hundred percent of the participants said they would be interested in attending more educational meetings even if they did not receive community service credits. Seventy-five percent of participants who used tobacco said that they would try to quit while all participants said they would encourage others not to smoke or use smokeless tobacco.

There was a 40% increase of participants who read labels before buying food and a 53% increase of participants who chose low-fat snacks. Requests for future programs included: cancer and health problems, smoking, eating habits, low-fat diets, nutritious foods, suntanning, and vitamins.

Hale County Extension Agent, Colleen Chadwick, and the Family Consumer Education members hosted a County Commissioners Court Appreciation Luncheon. They presented the court with a symbolic check for $544,440 for their volunteer hours contributed to Hale County.

Wharton County Extension Agent, Marilyn Sebesta has worked with the Rice Belt Warehouse for 7 years in coordinating worksite health screenings. Two of the approximately 30 employees who participated in the 1997 screening reported that they had quit smoking since the 1996 Screening because of the increased health risks associated with smoking.

Agent Highlights were supplied by Teresa Smith, Extension Associate-Health Education

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References

We would like to acknowledge use of the following sources of information in this publication:

• American Cancer Society, Texas Division, Inc. (1991). Good Parenting Begins Before Your Baby is Born: Please Don't Smoke (brochure). Code 713.
• American Cancer Society (1977). Why Start Life Under a Cloud (brochure). No. 2717-LE.
• American Heart Association, Texas Affiliate, Inc. Drugs Can Break Your Heart (brochure). No. TA31.
• American Heart Association, Texas Affiliate, Inc. (1989). The Good Life: A Guide to Help You Stop Smoking and Remain a Nonsmoker (booklet). No. TA 74.
• American Lung Association (1987). Freedom from Smoking for You and Your Family. No. 0063.
• American Lung Association of Texas, North Central Region. Involuntary (2nd Hand) Smoking Fact Sheet. For more information contact Smoking and Heart Specialist, Louisa Zai (817)732-6336.
• American Lung Association (1992). Reducing the Health Risks of Secondhand Smoke (brochure). Developed in collaboration with National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Centers for Disease Control, and National Cancer Institute.
• Burns, S. Cool Million with No Ifs, Ands, or Butts. Dallas Morning News, October 12, 1997.
• Department of Health and Human Services (1992). Nurses: Help Your Patients Stop Smoking. NIH Publication No. 92-2962.
• Liu, L., 1996. Texas School Survey of Substance Use Among Students: Grades 7-12. Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
• Meeks, L., Heit,P., Page, R. (1995). Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco: Totally Awesome Teaching Strategies. Blacklick, OH, MeeksHeit Publishing Company.
• National Institutes of Health (1993). Smoking Facts and Tips for Quitting (booklet). NIH Publication No. 93-3405.
• Proctor, S. and Proctor, L. (1987). How to Stop Smoking and Breath Free (brochure). Hagerstown, MD. The Health Connection.
• Scheer, J.K. (1996). Tobacco: Comprehensive Health for the Middle Grades. Santa Cruz, CA. ETR Associates.
• Texas Department of Health (1997). Information and Health Bulleting: Tobacco Prevention and Control, No. 2, Vol. 1.
• Texas Spit Tobacco Education and Prevention Plan: A Guide for Action (1997). Funded by the Texas Cancer Council.
• U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control. The Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General, 1990 At a Glance (fact sheet).

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Last updated: 6 January, 2008

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