Great news.............hope other States and Countries will follow. Anne

----- Original Message -----
From: Smith, Cynthia <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 4:18 PM
Subject: Lung Cancer drops 14% in CA


> And finally here's evidence our work is paying off.
>
> Cynthia Smith, Project Coordinator
> Alberta Heart Health Project
> 3-18L 410 Agriculture Forestry Centre
> University of Alberta
> Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5
> Ph. (780) 492-6502 Fax: (780) 492-9130
> 'Building capacity for heart health promotion in Alberta'
> www.ualberta.ca/~ahhp/
>
>
> CDC/Lung Cancer: Anti-Tobacco Measures Lessen Cancer
>
> By Jennifer Coleman / Associated Press Writer
> Thursday, Nov. 30, 2000; 4:00 p.m. EST
>
> SACRAMENTO, Calif.  California's tough anti-smoking measures
> and public health campaigns have resulted in a 14 percent
> decrease in lung cancer over the past 10 years, the government
> reported Thursday.
>
> Other regions of the country reported only a 2.7 percent decrease
> over the same period, the Centers for Disease Control and
> Prevention said.
>
> "Based on the California experience, we would hope to see
> similar effects in other states using similar programs," said
> Dr. Terry Pechacek, CDC associate director for science and
> public health.
>
> Lung cancer develops slowly and the full benefits of quitting can
> take up to 15 years to be realized. However, Pechacek said,
> researchers can start seeing some results within five years.
>
> Smoking rates in California began dropping in the late 1980s,
> helped in part by Proposition 99 in 1988. The voter-approved
> measure added a 25-cent-per-pack tax on tobacco products
> that paid for anti-smoking and education programs. Local
> governments also began restricting smoking in public buildings
> and workplaces.
>
> Two years ago, voters bumped the price of cigarettes an
> additional 50 cents per pack, money also earmarked for
> education. And this year alone, the state will spend $136 million
> on smoking prevention, cessation and research  some $45 million
> of it on anti-tobacco advertising.
>
> "California has the most comprehensive program for protecting
> nonsmokers from secondhand smoke," said Ken August,
> spokesman for the state health department. "Restaurants, bars
> and almost all indoor workplaces are smoke-free."
>
> The effect of the anti-tobacco efforts has been fewer smokers
> and fewer deadly cases of cancer related to smoking, health
> officials said. August and Pechacek both said they expect the
> trend to continue.
>
> August said that means there will be up to 4,000 fewer lung
> cancer cases in California this year and about 2,000 fewer deaths.
>
> In its report, the CDC compared cancer registries in California,
> Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, New Mexico and Utah, as well as
> Seattle, Atlanta and Detroit.
>
> In 1988, the lung cancer rate in California was 72 cases per
> 100,000 people, slightly higher than that of the other regions
> studied. By 1997, California's rate had dropped to about 60
> per 100,000.
>
> While lung cancer rates for women in the other regions rose 13
> percent, the rate for California women dropped 4.8 percent.
> Among California men, lung cancer rates dropped 23 percent,
> compared with a 13 percent drop among men elsewhere.
>
> Dr. David Burns, a volunteer with the American Lung Association
> in California, said: "This is an accomplishment of Proposition 99
> money being invested wisely by the state to help people change
> their smoking behavior."
>
> On the Net:
>
> CDC: Declines in Lung Cancer Rates --- California, 1988--1997
> http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4947a4.htm
>
> California health services agency: http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov
>
>
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