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Achieving Success and Addressing Challenges in Tobacco Control
In the landmark 1964 U.S. Surgeon General's report on smoking and health,
then-Surgeon General Dr. Luther L. Terry called for "appropriate remedial
action" to combat smoking and its detrimental effects. Over the last few weeks,
we have seen the cancer community's continued dedication to combating the
smoking scourge, and witnessed the impact it has had. As reported in last
week's Bulletin, there is now a new, single access number to the existing
network of tobacco quitline services, 1-800-QUITNOW. The launch of this
centralized quitline - and related Web site, www.smokefree.gov - is an integral
component of our nationwide effort to help tobacco users end their deadly
habit. And last Thursday brought us the 28th annual Great American Smokeout,
the excellent campaign spearheaded by the American Cancer Society. Last year
approximately 20 percent of current smokers participated in this 1-day event - a
clear indication that there is a sincere desire among many tobacco users to
quit.
The success that state comprehensive tobacco control programs can have
appeared in the November 12, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. An
NCI-funded study revealed that in 2003, the prevalence of cigarette smoking
among adults in Utah was 12 percent or less - this is the first time any state
has reached the Healthy People 2010 health objective for smoking prevalence.
The report warned, however, that a number of states continue to struggle in
this area, with a median smoking prevalence in all 50 states of approximately
22 percent.
As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to
provide support for state tobacco control programs, NCI-funded investigators
collaborate with local program leaders to test program components and develop
new strategies. For example, NCI is supporting a randomized trial testing
existing smoking prevention programs in 36 school districts in Oregon. Results
should provide real-world evidence for the effectiveness of combined school-
and community-based tobacco interventions, and factors that influence their
success.
The NCI Tobacco Control Research Branch (TCRB), part of the Division of
Cancer Control and Population Sciences, continues to lead NCI's investment in
tobacco control. A flagship of TCRB's efforts is the Transdisciplinary Tobacco
Use Research Centers (TTURC) initiative. Launched in 1999, the centers are at
the forefront of advancing tobacco control research, pushing it in new and
novel directions. Earlier this year, researchers at the University of
Pennsylvania TTURC published the first study linking specific genes and
psychosocial factors to whether teen smokers progress to become adult smokers.
At the Roswell Park Cancer Institute TTURC, investigators are examining the
impact of national tobacco control policies around the world.
We continue to be
proactive in addressing emerging research needs. NCI is one of the primary
funders of a program announcement (PA) intended to stimulate multidisciplinary
research on so-called reduced-exposure tobacco products. There is a severe lack
of scientific evidence on whether these modified tobacco products do, in fact,
reduce users' exposures to toxins in tobacco smoke or their risk for
tobacco-related diseases. This PA is a proactive effort to understand the
impact of tobacco products on smokers' behavior and health.
The breadth of the
tobacco control efforts going on nationwide is striking. At NCI, we are
committed to comprehensive tobacco control, and I am confident that - working
with partners on the federal, state, and local levels - we can indeed turn the
tide against tobacco use.
Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach
Director, National Cancer Institute
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