November 16, 1999

Contact: Bonnie Widerburg, (971) 673-1282

Technical Contact: Grant K. Higginson, (971) 673-1225

OREGON'S ANTI-TOBACCO EFFORTS ARE SAVING LIVES AND MONEY

This Op-Ed is written by Grant Higginson, MD, MPH, State Health Officer, and Deputy Administrator at the Health Services. Dr. Higginson may be reached at 503-731-4829.

Oregon's successful tobacco use reduction program stands in stark contrast to news stories lamenting the lack of progress around the county. Oregonians who have heard about the lack of success nationally in tobacco-prevention efforts may conclude that Oregon's aggressive tobacco prevention program is not working.

In its first two years, Oregon's program has succeeded in reducing overall tobacco consumption by 11 percent, and reduced the percentage of smokers by 6.4 %. The number of smokers has dropped by 35,000 and 500 million fewer cigarettes are being sold each year. Information obtained from birth certificates shows that over 1,000 fewer infants are being exposed before birth.

These are impressive numbers.

Why does Oregon's program work? We made the decision early that effectiveness would be our guiding principle, and we built our program around activities already proven to work.

The result is a comprehensive program that attacks tobacco on several fronts. We have a successful, aggressive media and public relations campaign. We also have 43 active community and tribal coalitions, 23 in-school programs and several projects targeting ethnic communities. Additionally, we have a toll free Quit Line that provides information and support for those who want to stop using tobacco.

But in spite of our successes, we have a long way to go in reducing the terrible impact of tobacco use, and particularly with youth. Oregon's experience does follow the national trend of increasing smoking rates in people 18 to 24 years old. This is distressing, especially because most adult smokers started as teens.

We knew, going in, that reaching youth would be a much more difficult challenge. The experience of other states with successful tobacco prevention programs tells us that youth rates require more time and energy to influence. We are particularly concerned about the success of tobacco marketing campaigns aimed at reaching young people. One of our biggest challenges is to find effective counter measures.

What does all this mean? It heightens the importance of a long-term, effective tobacco-reduction program. It also means that we can't let up our efforts. Local coalitions must continue to work at creating smoke free environments, we must implement more comprehensive programs in schools, and we need to continue to work with retailers to prevent the illegal sale of tobacco to minors. We must continue to work where we have been successful, which is reducing overall consumption, while finding more effective ways to reach youth.

The hard reality is that tobacco causes or contributes to nearly 25 percent of all deaths in Oregon. Every day, children and adults who breathe secondhand smoke are exposed to toxins and carcinogens at levels higher than even a smoker may experience. At workplaces where smoking is allowed, employees are forced to breathe pollutants from cigarette smoke that would be banned if they came from any other source.

We are proud that we have made a good start at reducing tobacco consumption in Oregon. We intend to build upon the success of our prevention and education program so that all Oregonians will be able to breathe easier and live in a safer and cleaner state.

Grant Higginson, MD, MPH, is state health officer and deputy administrator at the Health Services in the Oregon Department of Human Services.