2001 National Conference on Tobacco or Health

I've attended a lot of conferences in my line of work, but the 2001 National Conference on Tobacco or Health was a new direction for me. It was held in New Orleans last month and presented important information regarding fitness and well-being.

I teach classes for Health Smart for better breathing methods and exercise. It's a physician assigned class for a group of people with lung disorders who need to achieve better lung usage and build confidence and control in daily tasks; all funded by your tobacco settlement money.

I couldn't fit all there was to learn in the 3-1/2 days of continuous education. So I concentrated on four different topics: Rural health practices, spit tobacco, pregnancy and tobacco usage and tobacco quit programs, with a little media and second-hand smoke thrown in.

Most women understand the reasons not to smoke while pregnant. What I found is that the return to smoking rate after pregnancy is quite high with no consideration for the child in a smoking environment. Smoking statistics before, during and following pregnancy are still high in all states, especially in the southeastern states that had a large indigent population. Interesting point; even with little money, women will find a way to afford cigarettes.

Rural areas were found in all states except Washington D.C. These areas had the largest interaction of political opposition when dealing with anti-smoking programs having the same members on several boards along with a heavy smoking or chewing population. There were problems in staffing programs for tobacco control and problems covering large areas to install "Quit" programs.

Spit tobacco; tell it like it is! A terrible way to get your tobacco high. it is a number one tobacco program in most rural areas. Children start purchasing the little round cans filled with shredded bubble gum to have that little white ring in the hip pocket. i found out that girls are putting it between their toes when they play soccer so it works into the bloodstream during play. In some areas little league sports and wrestling coaches encourage its usage. The tobacco people pay to keep the spit tobacco on the front counter of stores and are not greatly upset if it is occasionally "lifted." These facts were documented, and several dentists who attended also interacted on the extreme dangers of chewing tobacco.

Because we are working toward a smoke-free environment, the tobacco companies are putting their energy behind smokeless varieties. And there are many, all the way from snuff, flavored honey and cherry varieties, to Copenhagen which is equal to four to five packs of cigarettes and highly addictive.

There was so much literature regarding the health consequences of smoking and chewing tobacco that I had to buy a large suitcase to get it all home. It will take me a month to absorb it all.

If you need advice or help with your decision to quit smoking, you can get all the help you need from Health Smart. It's located here in Carson City. They're in the phone book. Call them. It will be the best thing you can do for your family's health and for yours.

Jerry Vance is certified by the American Council on Exercise and teaches fitness at the Carson City Community Center and for the American Lung Association.