Extinguishing the Tobacco Epidemic in Virginia
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.
Virginia Key Facts
In 2019, 22.5% of Virginia high school youth reported currently using any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes. Among Virginia high school youth, 5.5% reported currently smoking cigarettes.
Public Health Response to Tobacco Use in Virginia
There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. It causes stroke, lung cancer, and coronary heart disease in adults. Virginia is a state where local communities are prevented from enacting ordinances to protect people from secondhand smoke in workplaces, restaurants, and bars. However, the state is able to work with locations, such as colleges and public housing authorities, to voluntarily adopt and implement smoke-free building and campus policies. Upon request, the state provides research, data and analysis, and scientific consultation to communities, multiunit housing operators, hospitals, businesses, and colleges and universities that want to protect residents from secondhand smoke. Eight public housing facilities or complexes in Virginia have implemented a smoke-free housing policy. Additionally, 25 public school divisions and 3 colleges or universities in the state have implemented a tobacco-free campus policy.
CDC’s Role in Advancing State Tobacco Control Programs
Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia state quitline increased by an average 69% during the 2020 Tips® campaign. The Virginia state quitline received a total of 5,132 calls from March 23rd – October 8th during the 2020 Tips® campaign.
Virginia 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
