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Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Events

Putting It All Together

Volume 9, Number 4 – July 2005

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

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Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Events

Tobacco prevention and cessation events are a great way to motivate people…either to never pick up tobacco or to try to quit—for good. There are several events that occur annually and can be the jumping off point of your efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use in your community.

One of the obstacles to collaborating in such an event is simply getting to the right resources—material resources and resource people. In this issue of HealthHints, you will be introduced to events that occur annually and learn when they occur, learn where to find resources, and learn how you can initiate or collaborate on such events.

Annual No Tobacco Events

Events Overview: Considering the Events for Your Community

Consider the following events for your community in this brief overview.

Tobacco Free Awareness Week

Tobacco Free Awareness Week is a public awareness campaign for tobacco prevention and cessation. Because it falls just after the new year, this is a great time to emphasize “resolving” to quit tobacco…or to never start.

Through with Chew Week

Through with Chew Week is a public awareness campaign emphasizing efforts to decrease spit tobacco use and raise awareness of the health effects of using such products. Through with Chew Week was originally established in 1989 by the American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Injury, Inc.; however, the Wyoming Department of Health Substance Abuse Division has developed the program with a multitude of resources that can be shared and adapted for your state. It is held in conjunction with another event called the Great American Spit Out, held the third Thursday in February. The Great American Spit Out is dedicated to supporting spit and snuff users who want to quit.

Kick Butts Day

Kick Butts Day (KBD) is the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids’ annual celebration of youth advocacy, leadership, and activism in the fight against tobacco. This is a great way to get youth involved and/or to celebrate their accomplishments.

World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is a global event that spreads information about the dangers of tobacco use across the nations. WNTD has a different theme each year. In 2005, the theme focused on the role of health professionals in tobacco control. The theme for 2006 was not posted as of the time of this publication.

Great American Smokeout

The Great American Smokeout was established by the American Cancer Society and is a day focused on raising the level of consciousness about tobacco use and its deadly consequences. The American Cancer Society and collaborators use this event as a catalyst for change in tobacco use behavior.

You may want to consider other national or state events or holidays as ways to promote tobacco prevention. For example:

See the calendar at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/calendar/calendar.htm for some additional ideas and resources. Incorporate activity ideas from any of these programs into your own events, such as local health fairs or other related programs. You will likely have great ideas of your own along these lines.

How Do I Get Started? Where to Begin

The best place to begin is usually by getting in touch with groups that annually hold the event, if any. If there are already ongoing events in your community or the surrounding areas, join in; collaborate and offer your services, skills, talents, and abilities to dig in and get the job done.

Here are the contact phone numbers and websites currently available for each of these events:

What If the Event is New to This Area? Initiating and Collaborating

So, what if no one is currently doing anything to investigate these events in your area, or what if they’ve never been brought to your community? Yikes! Take a deep breath—you do not have to do it all or do it alone. It is time to take the initiative and then collaborate, collaborate, collaborate.

First, look at all of the available resource materials (seen later in this issue). Order or download free materials to get started, such as program guides, kits, brochures, flyers, and fact sheets. You can consider fee-based resources once you know who is on board and what resources you may have on hand. Take time to review the materials to see what types of activities others have used as a catalyst to educate and motivate members of their communities.

Next, collaborate. This is crucial. Begin making contacts to set up a coalition (a fancy term for getting a bunch of people together to work toward a common goal, event, program, mission, etc.). Think of everyone who can help. Don’t just think of health care professionals; consider people from all walks of life—all types of industry. Here is a list to get you started:

Begin with this short list of potential collaborators, but you can come up with many more on your own. Once you have a few solid collaborators, ask them to help you make contacts or to suggest others they feel would make excellent partners in the event. For more information on developing collaborations, partnerships, and coalitions, look for upcoming Texas AgriLife Extension Service materials from Courtney Schoessow, Extension Program Specialist, Health Education. In the meantime, use some of the links provided in the box below.

Coalition Building Resources

Where Can I Find Materials? Resources, Resources, Resources

The beauty of these tobacco prevention and cessation campaigns and events is that there are many wonderful resources to help you make it all happen without having to create your own materials. Most of the materials can be downloaded; however, some may be more easily accessed by ordering hard copies in advance. One advantage to ordering materials, although it is slower, is that you will often be added to a list and be sent reminders of upcoming events and new materials. Consider contacting the originating organizations to see if you can be added to such lists for annual announcements about their events.

The following is a list of where to find resources for each event, along with some additional information about what is included in the materials. Keep in mind that some of these materials were used previously (if the event has already occurred in 2005) and may be changed from their original version for the year 2006 event.

Tobacco Free Awareness Week

Tobacco Free Awareness Week materials are located at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/calendar/jan.htm#NYTFAW on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. Currently available are two sample news releases and a fact sheet. The ideas presented in the news releases are as follows:

The fact sheet includes tobacco use prevalence, health consequences, economic impact, youth messages, quit tips, and tobacco control strategies along with links to documents related to this information.

Through with Chew

The Through with Chew campaign has several excellent resources for dental professionals and community volunteers. The Quit Spit Kit for Dental Professionals, available at http://www.throughwithchew.com/twc/twcw_dentist_toolkit.asp, asks dentists to endorse the campaign with reasoning backing it up and provides information about “teachable moments” for those in the dental practice. A cover letter from the Wyoming Dental Association is included. (It would be helpful to get such a letter from a Texas Dental Association member or the American Dental Association [AAD]; see http://www.ada.org/.)

The toolkit for planning Through with Chew Week and the Great American Spit Out in your community includes:

All of these resources can be found in the toolkit at http://www.throughwithchew.com/twc/twcw.asp?nbid=4.

There is also an area to download colored and photographic Through with Chew media resources at http://sad.state.wy.us/Tobacco/index.asp?fn=Media.

Don’t forget to emphasize cessation during the Great American Spit Out (on Thursday of the Through with Chew Week). See the “List of Activities to Maximize an Opportunity” at http://www.throughwithchew.com/twc/twcw_maximize_opportunity.asp?nbid=4 for cessation ideas; or see the latest issue of HealthHints on tobacco cessation at http://fcs.tamu.edu/health/Health_Education_Rural_Outreach/
Health_Hints/2005/spring05/tobacco_cessation.php.

One other excellent resource for those coordinating the event, as well as a great resource for those at highest risk for starting snuff/chew or those interested in trying to quit, is the “Frequently Asked Questions and Answers” found in the toolkit at http://www.throughwithchew.com/twc/twcw_faq.asp?nbid=4. Use this document as is, or pull out the answers to such questions as “What suggestions do you have for spit users who want to quit?” or “What makes spit tobacco so addictive?” Format these as fact sheets for appropriate, individual population groups.

Kick Butts Day

One of the wonderful things about Kick Butts Day: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is that you can log in (for free) and request a hard copy of their activity guide at http://www.kickbuttsday.org/. You can also download the guide; just keep in mind that the 2005 guide was over 100 pages in length, but it prints well…just go get a cup of coffee while you wait. This resource is highly recommended…even if you don’t plan to be involved in Kick Butts Day this year. The guide is full of activity ideas for youth, but it can be adapted and used for adults or for related programming. Here is a list of the activity titles:

The Kick Butts Day Guide also provides information on how to get started with your event, handling media and advertising, and how to stay involved.

Note: It is important to register your Kick Butts Day event at the website to gain some of the benefits of the program.

World No Tobacco Day

Resources for World No Tobacco Day are available each year with a different theme, which is currently pending for 2006. Information on organizing World No Tobacco Day is currently available at http://www.who.int/tobacco/communications/events/wntd/2005/activities/en/index.html.

Although the information listed is focused on the 2005 theme, “the role of health professionals on tobacco control,” the organizational information is still relevant. In fact, you can access previous World No Tobacco Day booklets from 2000–2005 and find useful programming information at http://www.who.int/tobacco/communications/events/wntd/en/index.html.

You can request a World No Tobacco Day booklet by sending an e-mail message to tfi@who.int. You can also download new materials when they become available. The 2005 booklet and other resource materials (e.g., posters, etc.) are available to download at http://www.who.int/tobacco/resources/publications/wntd/2005/en/ (note: the 2005 booklet is over 40 pages long, so give it time to upload and print). You can also find sample news releases for World No Tobacco Day at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/calendar/may_pressrelease.htm.

Great American Smokeout

Great American Smokeout (GASO) materials are available from the American Cancer Society website at http://www.cancer.org/; however, it is important to access Texas-specific resources, which focus on people and issues related to our state. The Texas-specific, Great American Smokeout resources can be obtained at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2x_Local_Smokeout_
Resources.asp?sitearea=PED; then click on Texas. Materials for the Great American Smokeout cannot be ordered in hard copy online; however, you will want to contact your local or regional ACS office to see what resources and opportunities exist locally. Contact 1-800-ACS-2345 to find your nearest ACS office. Online, you can download the following resources:

Be Smoke-Free…Just Like Me! Sticker Sheet
Smiley-flower: “Be Smoke-Free…Just Like Me!” 20 stickers/sheet. (Use Avery sticker sheet 8293 or similar size labels.)
Breathe Easy…Create A Smokefree Work Place
Guidance and facts for persons interested in creating a smokefree environment.
Dipper Adoption Papers
Dipper makes pledge to quit with a nondipper’s support.
Great American Smokeout Ad Slick
Promotes the quitline for smokers to quit during GASO. Space filler for church bulletins, newsletters, publications, etc.
Great American Smokeout Flyer
Quitting Is Your Best Shot. Features San Antonio Spur, Manu Ginobili. Encourages smokers to quit for GASO.
Great American Smokeout Letterhead
Great American Smokeout logo on letterhead to use for memos, thank-you letters, congratulation letters, etc.
Great American Smokeout News
Newsletter with ideas for schools and communities. Also has a component on cigarette tax, how to get involved with creating a smoke-free ordinance. Lists other websites for resources.
Great American Smokeout Poster
Quitting Is Your Best Shot. Features San Antonio Spur, Manu Ginobili. Encourages smokers to quit for GASO. 11"x17".
Quitline Poster
11"x17" poster encouraging smokers to call the Quitline during GASO.
Thinking about Quitting Smoking?
Educational piece to distribute encouraging smokers to call the Quitline.
¿Está pensando dejar de fumar? Nosotros podemos ayudarle.
Encourages smokers to call the Quitline to quit. In Spanish. 11"x17" poster.

All of these resources can be downloaded from http://www.cancer.org/docroot/COM/content/div_TX/
COM_5_2x_1_Resources_for_Worksite-Community.asp.

ACS also has ideas for schools and worksites.

School specific ideas can be found at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/COM/content/div_TX/
COM_5_2x_GASO_Ideas_for_Schools.asp?sitearea=COM and include:

Worksite specific ideas can be found at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/COM/content/div_TX/
COM_5_2x_GASO_Ideas_for_Worksite.asp?sitearea=COM and include:

Texas AgriLife Extension Service Resources: Resources at Your Fingertips

The following is a list of new Texas AgriLife Extension Service resources available to Texas county Extension agents through district offices or through the Extension Educational Resource Library in College Station.

Smokeless Tobacco

Smokeless Tobacco Education Package
This package includes (1) detailed, four-part facilitator’s guide, which includes presentation script with corresponding worksheets and hands-on activities, four multiple-choice quizzes, comprehensive test, creative enrichment activities designed to foster interactive participation; (2) Mr. Gross Mouth—hinged model of the teeth, tongue, and oral cavity shows the effects of smokeless tobacco use; (3) Slow Death by Poison poster; (4) Effects and Hazards of Smokeless Tobacco folding display; and (5) Smokeless Tobacco booklets.
Smokeless Tobacco Spit It Out! Display
This folding display specifically targets teenagers, using direct language and gripping images to expose the truth about “spit” tobacco. Eye-catching and made to last.
Smokeless Tobacco Flip Chart
Using graphic images and startling information, this booklet and flip chart highlight the dangers of smokeless tobacco—including deadly mouth cancers, severe dental problems, and dangerous cardiovascular conditions.

Smoking

Smoking Education Package
Detailed, four-part facilitator’s guide: presentation script with corresponding worksheets and hands-on activities; four multiple-choice quizzes; comprehensive test; and creative enrichment activities designed to foster interactive participation. Attention-getting teaching aids: Tobacco Ingredients display; The Effects and Hazards of Smoking folding display; The Smoking Section poster; 50 ABCs of Smoking booklets. Presentation may be tailored to fit a variety of time formats, from an approximately eight-hour long session to several one-hour short sessions. Activities appropriate for both secondary and adult audiences are included.
Smoker’s Roulette
This game shows that smoking is a high-risk, no-win gamble. With satiric artwork that lampoons popular cigarette brands, the roulette wheel demonstrates that smoking dangers include more than lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease. Comes with teacher’s guide.
Lou-Wheeze Smoker’s Lungs Comparison Model
Viewers get a shocking picture of smoking-related lung damage with this interactive display. Lou-Wheeze has two flexible latex lung models. One represents a healthy lung, while the other depicts the damage done by emphysema and cancer. The attached pump inflates the healthy lung as normal, but the diseased lung inflates sluggishly and fails to completely deflate between “breaths.” Comes with bellows pump and instructions.
Smoking Prevention Bingo Game
Offering a unique approach to smoking prevention education, this bingo game covers five important topics: why kids smoke, the effects of smoking, facts about tobacco, ways to say no, and smoking prevention activities. The calling cards provide additional information that can serve as a springboard for group discussion. Includes 16 laminated bingo cards, calling cards, instructions, resource guide, and bingo chips. Grades 7–12.
Death of a Lung Model
When a student or patient can see a realistic model of lung tissue affected by smoking, the impact is stronger than any words or pictures. Cast from real specimens and closely simulating actual tissue, three hand-painted models represent a normal lung, a lung with emphysema, and a lung with cancer. This unique display illustrates the dangers of smoking in a way viewers will never forget.
Don’t Get Burned Display
Teen-oriented graphics and language help young viewers understand that smoking can have negative and immediate effects on their health and appearance. This sturdy folding display identifies the risks of tobacco use and explains that cigarette “alternatives” (such as clove cigarettes and smokeless tobacco) are not safe choices, either.
The ABC’s of Smoking Bilingual Flip Chart
Medical photography shows the results of smoking in a unique and graphic way. This booklet and flip chart, which can be used together or separately, are effective tools for use in smoking cessation programs, health fairs, clinics, and more.
A Year’s Worth of Tar Jar
This striking sealed exhibit, which contains a cigarette package and cigarette butts submerged in gooey “tar,” represents the amount of the carcinogenic liquid that smoking half a pack of cigarettes per day for one year would push through the lungs.
Clever Catch Tobacco Ball
Helps students “catch” the truth about tobacco. The surface has 75 questions related to the dangers of smoking and smokeless tobacco. Comes with instructions and answer sheet. Grades 5–9.

Secondhand Smoke

Effects and Hazards of Secondhand Smoke
Many people don’t realize that the smoke produced by a burning cigarette is just as deadly as the smoke that a smoker inhales. This folding display points out that secondhand smoke puts nonsmokers at risk for developing a number of serious conditions and diseases.
Secondhand Smoke Flip Chart
Hard-hitting facts and enlightening graphics explain the hazards of secondhand smoke. Explains that secondhand smoke contains more carcinogens than smoke inhaled by a smoker. Flip chart features script on reverse panels.

Resources to Remember

As you plan for these “no tobacco” events, don’t forget the following:

Texas AgriLife Extension Service Resources

Health Fair Planning Guide
http://fcs.tamu.edu/health/health_fair_planning_guide/index.php
Tobacco Cessation: Best Practices and Programs for Quitting Tobacco (HealthHints Newsletter)
http://fcs.tamu.edu/health/Health_Education_Rural_Outreach/
Health_Hints/2005/spring05/tobacco_cessation.php

School Educator Resources

Tobacco Theme Unit including The Great American Smokeout
http://www.edhelper.com/tobacco.htm
Lesson Planning: The Great American Smokeout: Anti-Smoking Activities Permeate the Curriculum
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson034.html

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2005). Tobacco control media events calendar: January 2005, New Year’s quit kits – sample news release. Retrieved June 10, 2005. From http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/calendar/jan_pressrelease.htm.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2005). Tobacco control media events calendar: January 2005, Smoke-free turkey while you go cold turkey – sample news release. Retrieved June 10, 2005. From http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/calendar/jan_pressrelease2.htm.
  3. American Cancer Society (2005). Ideas for worksite/community. Retrieved June 22, 2005. From http://www.cancer.org/docroot/COM/content/div_TX/
    COM_5_2x_GASO_Ideas_for_Worksite.asp?sitearea=COM.

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