Context for Tobacco Prevention in Wyoming There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. Each year, an estimated 800 Wyoming adults die prematurely from smoking-attributable illnesses such as heart disease, lung diseases, and cancers (primarily of the respiratory system; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014a). In 2010, tobacco-related healthcare cost Wyoming […]
The Wyoming Adult Tobacco Survey (ATS) is a key component in the evaluation of Wyoming’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (TPCP). Under contract to the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), the Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center (WYSAC) at the University of Wyoming called adults across the state (via cell phone and landline) to ask about their use of and attitudes about tobacco products and policies.
Tobacco use is a preventable cause of chronic diseases like heart disease, cancers, respiratory diseases, and high blood pressure in the United States (USDHHS, 2014). Chronic diseases are leading causes of death and sickness in the United States and Wyoming. In 2016, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases were the first, second, and fourth leading causes of death in Wyoming, respectively (CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, 2017).
In the United States, children and teens constitute the majority of all new smokers (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2014). The earlier young people begin using tobacco products, the more likely they are to use them as adults and the longer they will remain users (Institute of Medicine, 2015). Two of the four key goals the Wyoming Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (TPCP) shares with the federal tobacco prevention and control program are to (a) reduce youth initiation of tobacco use (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014) and (b) promote quitting tobacco use, including among youth (CDC, 2015).
The use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS; also known as electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes, e-cigs, vape-pens, JUUL, and other names) has increased in recent years (Abassi, 2016). Current youth use of ENDS nearly tripled between 2013 (4.5%) and 2014 (13.4%; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015b). In Wyoming, 30% of high school students were current ENDS users in 2015 (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System [YRBSS], 2015), and, in 2017, 24% of adults had tried ENDS (WYSAC, 2018).
The Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program (WQTP) assists enrollees in their efforts to quit using tobacco products by offering free Quitline phone coaching, free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and free or reduced-price prescription (Rx) medications.
The Wyoming Quit Tobacco Program (WQTP) assists enrollees in their efforts to quit using tobacco products by offering free Quitline phone coaching, free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and free or reduced-price prescription (Rx) medications.
The Wyoming Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (TPCP) works to reduce tobacco use in Wyoming by using a comprehensive, multi-strategy approach. The TPCP aligns its strategies around four goal areas that it shares with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
The Wyoming Survey & Analysis Center (WYSAC), under contract to the Wyoming Department of Health, Public Health Division, conducted a survey of young adults aged 18 to 25. The survey measured attitudes and behaviors of young adults in Wyoming related to tobacco use. Key findings from the survey include the following:
The Impact of Tobacco in Wyoming: 2016 Annual Summary provides data on the prevalence of tobacco use and data associated with the four goals of the Wyoming Tobacco Prevention and Control Program:
Reduce youth initiation
Reduce exposure to secondhand smoke
Promote tobacco cessation
Minimize disparities in the burden of tobacco use.