Release Date: March 31, 2009
Contact: Christine Patmon, Metro Health Public Relations Manager, 207-8638
SA-TPCC to Launch Media Campaign and Membership Drive
Tobacco prevention and control efforts to target middle school age youth and adults
As smokers get ready for the largest ever tax increase on cigarettes on April 1, the San Antonio Tobacco Prevention and Control Coalition (SA-TPCC) is preparing to overwhelm them with encouraging messages to quit smoking. The coalition, coordinated by Metro Health, is kicking off a major media campaign aimed at reaching smokers through print, radio and TV ads, VIA bus signage, and entertainment venues in an effort to make San Antonio a smoke-free community.
“We recognize that taxes can be challenging, especially for lower income families. However, smoking is far more than a financial burden. It’s a life and death issue for the smoker and everyone exposed to the secondhand smoke,” said Brenda Lemke, Tobacco Prevention and Control Manager. “Our hope is that smokers will now consider quitting and seek appropriate resources to be successful.”
Ads in the media campaign promote the American Cancer Society Quitline. Bexar County residents are eligible to receive two months of free nicotine replacement therapy while supplies last by calling 1-877-YES-QUIT.
Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of death in the U.S. and costs billions of dollars in health-related costs and mortality-related economic losses. In Texas alone, tobacco-related diseases claim the lives of 24,100 people each year, making the product more deadly than AIDS, cocaine, motor vehicle accidents, fires,
and several other causes of death combined. Furthermore, a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows an estimated 2.4 million cases of tobacco-related cancers were diagnosed nationwide from 1999-2004.
Locally, the SA-TPCC is targeting certain population groups identified as having high rates of tobacco use and those at risk. Among adults, findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System showed highest rates of tobacco use in males aged 25-34, Black males over the age of 35, and White and Hispanic males ages 20-45. Among youth, high rates of tobacco use were found in White and Hispanic males in high school, while middle school-aged Hispanic females were high risk.
The SA-TPCC’s efforts are being funded through a grant from the Texas Department of State Health Services as a result of earlier tobacco settlement funds. Along with Metro Health, coalition members include the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio – Institute for Health Promotion Research, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, South Central Area Health Education Center, University Health System’s Texas Diabetes Institute, and the San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
In April, a recruitment drive will get underway for additional members to join the coalition. For more information about the SA-TPCC, call 207-5261or visit www.tobaccofreesa.org.
