You At Your Best

By suzANNe rHoDes NWA DeMoCrAt-gAzette The prevalence of no smoking policies in institutions and businesses throughout Northwest Arkansas and the nation reflects changing societal attitudes toward tobacco products. And yet Arkansas ranks third as the state with most smokers, according to the Center for Disease Control. "Tobacco is probably our worst issue in terms of addiction because of its breadth in the number of people that smoke or otherwise use tobacco products that shouldn't," said Dr. Gary Wheeler, the Arkansas Department of Health's Chief Medical Officer in a recent interview. All tobacco users are at risk for the harmful physical and physiological effects of tobacco and nicotine, but with men it is especially true, noted Abbie Luzius, a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist with the Community Clinic in Springdale. There, she serves as the Community Development Manager and is a member of the NWA Tobacco and Drug Free Coalition. She's also a Certified Health Education Specialist and has "assisted in research on emerging trends in electronic cigarettes" and published several articles based on those findings. In Arkansas, male smokers slightly exceed their female counterparts, as reported by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, but their use of other nicotine products like smokeless tobacco and cigars is higher. This puts them at greater risk for heart and respiratory diseases, cancer (lung cancer especially, the number one cause of death for both men and women smokers), stroke and diabetes. Luzius believes a number of factors contribute to the higher use of tobacco among men. One is a male social norm that views smoking, chewing and dipping as acceptable. Another is the high stress levels experienced by agricultural and other blue collar workers. "The age group of typical traditional tobacco users is the 40s and up. Those groups are higher in Arkansas," she said. "Young white males in rural areas have been the most susceptible to becoming addicted to the different tobacco products, and that's how we're still seeing a large rise in the 40s plus age group." For those under 40, "the introduction of e-cigarettes brings a potential for increasing the number of young people who are going to be using tobacco products eventually. It hasn't been proven yet, but there's a long-term risk in public health that we're aware of and trying to counteract." Luzius said most people know that smoking cigarettes is bad, "but if you ask the same people about vaping, they don't know if it's bad or not. There's still a lot of work to be done." She cited a study published last month by American Journal of Preventative Medicine, describing it as "the very first study that's been monitoring people for a number of years who've been using e-cigarettes. It says it does increase your risk for heart attack and heart disease, which is a known risk for traditional tobacco users as well." With vaping, nicotine extracted from tobacco is heated, and when inhaled, added flavors and other chemicals create a water vapor. E-cigarettes are banned on college campuses, but Luzius said studies demonstrate the growing popularity among the college-age and high school populations. "From some of the high schools the coalition has visited, it's astonishing the number of students and athletes who are using e-cigs," Luzius said. "Luckily, schools are getting wise to this and are cracking down. Some have zero tolerance policies for students caught with them." Despite the concerning facts and trends, there's good news, too. "The impact of our work is evident in the passing of the recent smoke-free ordinance for parks in Fayetteville," Luzius explained. "Fifteen years ago the pushback for the Clean Indoor Air Act was tremendous, but now this most recent ordinance was passed with no opposition, a clear impact of the work of the coalition." Partnering with numerous community groups, the NWA Tobacco and Drug Free Coalition exists "to improve the quality of life for Arkansans by mitigating the health and economic impact of alcohol, tobacco and drug usage through education, prevention, cessation, and public policy," as stated on their website. One such policy is a new law, effective September 1, to raise the age for purchasing all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21. Efforts to educate people in the community are ongoing, as Luzius and coalition representatives visit schools and colleges, and civic and community groups. "The coalition has done so many things in trying to change the whole environment of the community we live in to make people aware of the risks of using tobacco and e-cig products, and helping people be aware of different resources available to them to help them quit smoking." For more information, contact Abbie Luzius, Northwest Arkansas Tobacco and Drug Free Coalition, 614 E. Emma Ave., Suite 300, Springdale, AR 72764, abbie.luzius@communityclinicnwa.org, 479-751-7417 Ext. 6056. Men are number one at risk for tObaCCO-relateD DISeaSeS 6 | YOU AT YOUR BEST | nwAdg.cOm/YOUATYOURBEST AUgUST - mEn'S HEAlTH | SATURdAY, JUlY 27, 2019

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