Extinguishing the Tobacco Epidemic in Tennessee
The Problem
Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the United States, despite a significant decline in the number of people who smoke. Over 16 million Americans have at least one disease caused by smoking. This amounts to $170 billion in direct medical costs that could be saved every year if we could prevent youth from starting to smoke and help every person who smokes to quit.
Tennessee Key Facts
In 2019, 27.9% of Tennessee high school youth reported currently using any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes. Among Tennessee high school youth, 7.1% reported currently smoking cigarettes.
Public Health Response to Tobacco Use in Tennessee
The Tennessee Governor’s office proclaimed February 22 – 26, 2016, as “2016 Tennessee Quit” to focus multisector efforts on promoting quitting tobacco use in the state. In response, the state health department partnered with rural and metro health departments across the state to identify and engage community partners to promote tobacco cessation. The state also utilized media campaigns, which occurred on radio, television, and social media, to promote quitting during this period. Calls to the state’s quitline nearly tripled for the month of February and were the highest number of calls to date for the quitline. Due to the success of the campaign and the engagement of community partners, the state has developed a statewide Tobacco Coalition and will hold a similar themed “Quit Week” annually.
CDC’s Role in Advancing State Tobacco Control Programs
Tennessee is one of 50 states plus DC that receives funding and technical support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support comprehensive tobacco control efforts and quitlines. The Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) is the lead federal agency for comprehensive tobacco prevention and control. For decades, OSH has led public health efforts to prevent young people from using tobacco and to help all tobacco users to quit.
CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers® (Tips®) Campaign Helps Tennessee Smokers Quit Smoking
Despite significant progress, tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the US. The good news is that 7 out of 10 smokers want to quit smoking. That is why since 2012 CDC has been educating the public about the consequences of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke and encouraging smokers to quit through a federally funded, national tobacco education campaign, Tips From Former Smokers®. The campaign features former smokers suffering from the real consequences of smoking.
The Tips® campaign connects smokers with resources to help them quit, including a quitline number (1-800-QUIT-NOW) which routes callers to their state quitline. The Tennessee quitline provides free cessation services, including counseling and medication. These services are effective in improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
“I was thinking about relapsing today and the new commercials came on. It changed my mind real fast. You don’t understand the power of these commercials until you have made the decision to quit. Terrie Hall makes me cry every time . . . that could easily be me.”
–Justin: January 2016
Incoming calls to the Tennessee state quitline increased by an average 78% during the 2020 Tips® campaign. The Tennessee state quitline received a total of 6,556 calls from March 23rd – October 8th during the 2020 Tips® campaign.
Tennessee Tobacco Prevention & Control Programs Reduce Healthcare Costs
Tobacco prevention and control activities are a public health “best buy.” Evidence-based, statewide tobacco control programs that are comprehensive, sustained, and accountable have been shown to reduce the number of people who smoke, as well as tobacco-related diseases and deaths. For every dollar spent on tobacco prevention, states can reduce tobacco-related health care expenditures and hospitalizations by up to $55. The longer and more states invest, the larger the reductions in youth and adult smoking. A comprehensive statewide tobacco control program includes efforts to:
1.
Prevent initiation of tobacco use especially among youth and young adults
2.
Promote cessation and assist tobacco users to quit
3.
Protect people from secondhand smoke
