Background Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, annually causing more than 480,000 deaths. In Wyoming, smoking leads to approximately 800 deaths from smoking-related illnesses each year and nearly $258 million in annual healthcare costs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014a). In addition, scientists have known since the […]
Background Since the 1950s, scientists have been collecting evidence about the harmful effects of smoking. In 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General’s office issued a landmark report, Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General, which stated that a link between smoking and certain cancers exists (U.S. Department of Health, Education, and […]
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.
Each year between 2005 and 2009, about 41,000 nonsmoking people in the United States died prematurely from heart disease or lung cancer caused by exposure to secondhand smoke (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2014). One of the four key goals the Wyoming Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (TPCP) shares with the federal tobacco prevention and control program is to decrease exposure to secondhand smoke (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017a). The majority of Wyoming adults agree with the statement, “Secondhand smoke is very harmful to one’s health.” Further, 79% of Wyoming adults would support a law making the indoor areas of restaurants smokefree, and 80% would support a law for smokefree indoor work areas (WYSAC, 2018). Enactment, implementation, and enforcement of smokefree policies and laws protect the public from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Yet, 71% of Wyoming residents are not covered by a comprehensive smokefree indoor air law, making them vulnerable to secondhand smoke in public places.
Chronic disease is a general term that refers to illnesses that progress slowly and last a long time (World Health Organization [WHO], 2014), such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death and sickness in the United States and Wyoming (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics [CDC, NCDHS], 2017). “Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of premature disease and death in the United States” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2014, p. iii).
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 Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (TPCP) shares a goal with the federal tobacco prevention and control program: decrease exposure to secondhand smoke (Starr, et al., 2005). According to the Surgeon General (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2014) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2014), smoke-free air policies improve public health by reducing exposure to secondhand smoke.
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.
The Impact of Tobacco in Wyoming: 2015 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.