A message from Dr. Robert Gillio (Dr. Rob):
It is important that students are empowered with knowledge, skills and resources, so they make the best decisions about tobacco use daily. In Project Breathe students learn about tobacco affects on their bodies and how tobacco affects health and longevity.
If you are tobacco free, this program will help you stay that way. If you currently use tobacco, this program can help you become tobacco free. Take a hard look at statistics taken from The Center for Disease Control's web site:
- Nearly 21% of U.S. adults (44.5 million people) are current cigarette smokers. 1
- Cigarette smoking estimates for adults are highest among American Indians/Alaska Natives (33%), followed by whites (22%), African Americans (20%), Hispanics (15%), and Asian Americans (11%). 1
- Almost 22% of high school students in the United States are current cigarettes smokers. 2 Each day, an estimated 1,500 persons younger than 18 years become regular smokers, that is, they begin smoking on a daily basis. 3
- Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in this country and is responsible for an estimated 438,000 deaths per year, or about one of five deaths. 4 An estimated 38,000 of these deaths are the result of secondhand smoke exposure.
- Worldwide, tobacco use results in nearly 5 million deaths per year. 5 If current trends continue, it is predicted that tobacco use will cause more than 10 million deaths annually by the year 2020.
- On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers. 6
- For every person who dies of a smoking—attributable disease, 20 more people suffer with at least one serious illness from smoking. 7 Cigarette smoking increases the length of time that people live with a disability by about 2 years. 8
- Among adult smokers, 70% report that they want to quit completely, 9 and more than 40% of adult smokers try to quit each year. 1
- Cigarette smoking results in more than $167 billion in costs annually, based on lost productivity ($92.4 billion) and health care expenditures ($75.5 billion). 4,7
- Secondhand smoke results in an estimated $10 billion in costs annually. 10
- In 2003, the latest year with available data, the cigarette industry spent almost $15.2 billion, or more than $41 million per day, on advertising and promotional expenses. 11
- States spend less than 3% of the $20 billion available to them from tobacco excise taxes and tobacco industry legal settlements on preventing and controlling tobacco use. 12 If only 7.5% of the total amount of these available financial resources were used, every state tobacco control program could be funded at CDC—recommended minimum levels. 12
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cigarette smoking among adults— United States , 2004. MMWR 2005;54:1121–1124. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5444a2.htm .
Here is a simple hint about tobacco use…never start. Another hint is to surround yourself with non smokers. Peers are one of the largest influences on whether or not you start tobacco.
Finally, in Project Breathe, we share the knowledge, skills and resources for you to make your own tobacco decisions. No judgments, just facts, skills and motivation to Take Action! In the process you will learn about your body including heart and lungs, how to protect the lungs, and to make a plan to guide you. |
