2008 Smoking Prevelance Rates Released

As our Partners in tobacco control statewide, I wanted to take a moment to congratulate us all on the good news released this week!

Late last week, the CDC released the new smoking prevalence rates for 2008. As you may have already seen in the media, yesterday we announced the finding that Arizona improved from a national ranking of 25th in prevalence to the 7th lowest, with a drop in rates from 19.7% in 2007 to 15.7% in 2008. This represents over a 20% drop in tobacco prevalence (an estimated 170,000 tobacco users), and was the single greatest decrease in the U.S. Yesterday, at the meeting of the Tobacco Revenue, Use, Spend and Tracking (TRUST) Commission, a press conference was held to announce the exciting news. Click the link below to view the complete news release:

complete news release

Watch the blog! Coming soon we will have links to all the media coverage from our press conference and press release.

WebQuit Another Option for World No Tobacco Day

The Arizona Smokers’ Helpline (ASHLine) supports the World Health Organization’s efforts to call attention to tobacco’s impact on public health during “World No Tobacco Day” on May 31, 2009. ASHLine offers free services by telephone and on-line to all Arizonans who want to quit tobacco.

Designed with behavior modification specialists who understand addiction, WebQuit features a series of modules to allow clients to develop an individualized quit plan and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Click the link below to read the entire news release:

complete news release

Recent Study Shows Historic Drop in Smoking Rates

New information from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2008, shows that the rate of smoking among adults in Arizona has dropped significantly – more than four percentage points representing a 20.7 percent decrease in prevalence equating to 170,000 Arizonans who quit smoking since 2007. The rate of smoking in one year dropped from 19.8 percent to 15.7 percent.

Bill Pfeifer, TRUST Commission Chairman said, “This is a historic drop in smoking prevalence for Arizona.”

This decrease, the single largest decline in tobacco use in any state in the U.S. during the past year, moves Arizona from ranking 26th in the nation for smoking prevalence to 7th. Click the link below to read the entire news release:

complete news release

Radio Host Stays Quit with Help from ASHLine

Pete Cummings brings his irreverent style to the PM Drive Shift, Monday through Friday from 2pm to 7pm, via the KSLX 100.7 FM WebCam.

Pete Cummings, rock-radio deejay with KSLX 100.7 FM, gets the help he needs to stay tobacco-free from the Arizona Smokers’ Helpline. Listen to Pete talk about quitting smoking and his experience working with Michael Camerson from the ASHLine:

Monday, May 5: Get rewarded and improve your health.

Wednesday, May 7: It’s so much easier when you have help.

Monday, May 11: Quit successfully for the last time.

KSLX 100.7 FM is collecting quit stories, awarding weekly prizes, and giving away $1,000 for the most inspiring story. Be the next winner, submit your quit story today!