Stopping Harmful Impact From Tobacco Smoke in the Workplace
Stopping Harmful Impact From Tobacco Smoke in the Workplace
March 17, 2010
Children exposed in utero to tobacco smoke have higher rates of asthma
A new study presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s annual meeting reports that children of different ethnicities whose mothers smoke while pregnant are nearly six times more likely to develop persistent asthma. Immunologists report that exposure in utero alters the development of the immune system at a significant stage of development, which can lead down the path to more allergies and asthma. The study was one of several presented at the conference that suggests that asthma risk is more closely impacted by in utero exposure to chemicals than postnatal exposure.
Read more about the fetal secondhand smoke exposure study.
New Facebook application aims to help smokers quit
WeQuit, a charity based in the UK, has launched a Facebook application that hopes to motivate smokers to quit in a fun, social way. The application, which was launched to coincide with the UK’s No Smoking Day on March 10, provides cessation tips, allows users to network with others who are trying to quit and also raise money for charity in the process. Facebook users sign up for the free application and can quit smoking themselves or challenge others to quit smoking and provide incentives along the way.
In this third issue of Cessation Benefits Focus, we focus on how to design a tobacco cessation benefit with the goal of increasing the likelihood that plan participants will use the benefit and succeed in quitting. This issue addresses the key components of a comprehensive cessation benefit, benefit costs, calculation of return-on-investment (ROI), and benefit design, including sample SPD language, and includes two, one-page fact sheets—one on tobacco cessation counseling and the other on tobacco cessation medications.
» Read the October 2009 issue of Cessation Benefits Focus PDF, 1.06 Mb
» An overview of tobacco cessation medications PDF, 1314 Kb
» An overview of tobacco cessation counseling PDF, 112 Kb
WorkSHIFTS recently presented at the 2009 National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH), held in Phoenix, Arizona on June 10 – 12. NCTOH brings together a diverse array of leaders in the tobacco control community including health care providers, advocates, policymakers, public health practitioners, and legal experts. Bernie Hesse, UFCW Local 789, and Alison Moore, WorkSHIFTS staff member, presented a poster highlighting the efforts of WorkSHIFTS to address smoking cessation in the labor community. The presentation, Influencing Taft-Hartley Funds to Provide and Promote Tobacco Cessation Benefits, described findings from a previous research study investigating health benefit decision-making among Taft-Hartley Health and Welfare Funds. For more information about the presentation, please feel free to contact Alison Moore at alison.moore@wmitchell.edu or Susan Weisman at susan.weisman@wmitchell.edu.
» View the WorkSHIFTS poster, "Influencing Taft-Hartley Funds to Provide and Promote Tobacco Cessation Benefits" PDF, 5.46 Mb
WorkSHIFTS is a program of the Tobacco Law Center, working with the labor community in Minnesota to provide education, training, and technical assistance to Minnesota workers and labor management about the health risks and economic consequences of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke in the workplace.
WorkSHIFTS key activities include:
