"Smoking in the Workplace"
Dear Colleagues:
As we look forward to the release of the Surgeon General's Report on Secondhand Smoke later this month, it is timely that we turn our attention to a troubling and emerging trend in the American workplace: employers are increasingly announcing that they will fire and refuse to hire qualified employees who smoke, even if they smoke only outside work, on their own time. Insisting on smoker-free workplaces is a move that needlessly punishes employees who struggle with a powerful addiction, and deprives employers of potentially qualified individuals.
As a public health foundation, we know that employers can manage healthcare costs and better contribute to public health by enforcing smoke-free workplaces and helping employees who want to quit, rather than keeping smokers out of the workplace, Smoke-free workplaces, which are virtually cost-free, are associated with significant decreases in smoking. In addition, comprehensive cessation programs, which significantly contribute toward helping smokers quit successfully, can be added at very low insurance costs per covered employee.
Firing or refusing to hire smokers is not the answer to the critical public health challenge of smoking-related disease. Instead, providing proven services that will help current smokers quit will improve public health, while allowing employers to improve their bottom lines.
Sincerely,
Cheryl G. Healton, Dr. P.H.
President & CEO
American Legacy Foundation
Capitol Hill Briefing
On May 10, 2006 the American Legacy Foundation®, and Women's Policy, Inc. in cooperation with the Women's Congressional Caucus held a briefing luncheon at the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill. The briefing, titled Her Story: Smoking's Presence throughout a Woman's Life, discussed the effects and influence of smoking on women of all ages and life-stages including: infancy and childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and senior years.
Smoking, Obesity Pose Greatest Risk to Most Disadvantaged Americans
Nearly nine million adults in the United States are affected by both obesity and smoking, two of the nation's top public health epidemics, according to recent research by the American Legacy Foundation®, published in the June issue of the British Medical Journal. The research also indicates that while this figure is low compared to the millions of Americans affected by smoking and obesity independently, smoking and obesity in combination greatly impact America's most disadvantaged populations – those with the least amount of education and those in the lowest income bracket. In fact, more than 2.3 million Americans with income levels of less than $20,000 both smoke and are obese.
AJPH and YTCC Call For Papers
The American Journal of Public Health, together with the Youth Tobacco Cessation Collaborative (whose members represent major organizations that fund research and policy initiatives related to controlling youth tobacco use), is soliciting submissions for its theme issue on tobacco cessation among young adults aged 18-24. Editors are soliciting research briefs (80-word unstructured abstract, 800-word test, up to 2 tables/figures) and research articles (180-word structured abstract, 3,500-word text, up to 4 tables/figures) to be included in the issue.
Healthy Monday, A New Approach to Quitting Smoking
The American Legacy Foundation®, in observance of World No Tobacco Day on May 31, encourages smokers trying to quit to plan quit attempts "every Monday." Many smokers trying to quit become discouraged when one or two quit attempts do not succeed, yet ex- smokers report trying to quit a number of times before quitting successfully. "Healthy Mondays" gives smokers who want to quit the opportunity to renew their commitment to quitting each week. "Many smokers feel a sense of failure when they have relapses, after resolving to quit or promising a loved one to quit," says foundation President and CEO Cheryl Healton, Dr.P.H. "Making the decision to stop smoking isn't easy, because nicotine is such a powerful addiction. With the right planning and preparation, any day can be a good day to quit, so we urge smokers to try again."
Foundation Presents New Research on Smoking In The Movies at WCTOH
The American Legacy Foundation® will present new research related to the depiction of smoking in the movies during the 13th World Conference on Tobacco or Health, which will be held from July 8-15, 2006 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. The foundation partnered with Dr. Jim Sargent of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center to conduct innovative research regarding the prevalence of smoking in movies and its effect on youth smoking. A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday, July 13 to unveil the results to colleagues in tobacco control and the public. In addition, the foundation will participate in a panel discussion with researchers who focus on smoking in the movies, including Dr. Stan Glantz from the Smoke-free Movies Project at the University of California at San Francisco. The World Conference theme, "Building Capacity for a Tobacco-Free World," acknowledges the vast need for a variety of skills necessary to ensure success against tobacco and will feature the latest research on the science of the health effects of tobacco, addiction, cessation, public policy, secondhand smoke, and smokeless tobacco.
On June 10th thousands ran, walked or cheered in Central Park as part of the Circle of Friends® New York Mini10K road race. For the third year in a row, the foundation partnered with New York Road Runners to sponsor the race to raise funds for foundation programs and increase awareness of tobacco use as a public health issue.
