News and Events
Tobacco Use Remains a Public Health Threat in Florida, Especially Among Certain Subpopulations
April 5, 2018
While Florida has seen a significant decline in smoking, there are still about 2.5 million adult cigarette smokers in the state. This is largely because disparities in tobacco use remain especially high among certain groups, including: racial and ethnic minorities, low-income individuals, the LGBT community, and people with mental health conditions.
DeSoto County, being a very rural community, is largely targeted by tobacco companies. So, in honor of Tobacco Free Florida Week, and to spread awareness on how tobacco companies use point-of-sale marketing to target our vulnerable population, DHS SWAT Youth and TFP members set up an informational booth at Jim Space Park Complex on April 5th.
Jim Space contains a large playground, adult softball fields, and little league softball fields. A booth was set up right in the entry of the park, so all visitors had to walk by the booth to enter. There were various hands-on materials available to teach about the dangers of tobacco use and volunteers shared statistics with visitors, including but not limited to:
- Tobacco use is higher among adults with incomes less than $30,000 annually in Florida.
- People of low socioeconomic status are just as likely to make quit attempts but are less likely to quit smoking cigarettes than those who are not.
- People living in rural, deprived areas have up to 20 percent higher rates of lung cancer than people living in urban areas.
- Smoking among white, non-Hispanic adults in Florida has declined since 2012, but smoking among Hispanic and Black Floridians has not changed significantly since 2012.
- Tobacco companies use price promotions such as discounts and multi-pack coupons – which are most often used by African Americans and other minority groups, women, and young people – to increase sales.
In addition to setting up the booth and sharing statistics with visitors, SWAT Youth decorated rocks with tobacco free messages to be “hidden” around town. SWAT youth really enjoyed tapping into their creative side and decorating the rocks. Our mission is to inform parents and children about the harms of tobacco use, but more importantly, raise awareness on the many tactics used by tobacco companies in our rural area. We hope that as these rocks are discovered and rehidden, our message will continue circulating around our community.
Picture 1 Caption:
DHS SWAT Youth and TFP members share information on how tobacco use remains a public health threat in Florida, especially among certain subpopulations.
Picture 2 Caption:
SWAT youth tapped into their creative side to decorate rocks with tobacco free messaging. These rocks were hidden around town and decorating the rocks.
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Reference:
- 16,469,339 Florida adults: Florida QuickStats. U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/FL/AGE115210#viewtop
- 15.5 percent (or 2,552,747) Florida adults smoke were current cigarettes: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Prevalence and Trends Data, 2016. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Best Practices User Guide: Health Equity in Tobacco Prevention and Control. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2015.
- FL Adult Tobacco Survey (FLATS).
- National Center for Health Statistics. Survey Description, National Health Interview Survey, 2016. Hyattsville, Maryland. 2017.
- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Tobacco and Socioeconomic Status ]. Washington, D.C.: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2015 [accessed 2016 Mar 29].
- FL Adult Tobacco Survey (FLATS).
- National Center for Health Statistics. Survey Description, National Health Interview Survey, 2016. Hyattsville, Maryland. 2017.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vital Signs: Disparities in Nonsmokers’ Exposure to Secondhand Smoke—United States 1999–2012. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2015;64(Early Release):1–7 [accessed 2015 Sep 17].
- Rodriguez D, Carlos HA, Adachi-Mejia AM, Berke EM, Sargent JD. Predictors of tobacco outlet density nationwide: a geographic analysis.Tob Control. 2013 Sep;22(5):349-55. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050120. Epub 2012 Apr 4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Predictors+of+tobacco+outlet+density+nationwide%3A+a+geographic+analysis.
- Brown-Johnson CG, England LJ, Glantz SA, Ling PM. Tobacco Industry Marketing to Low Socioeconomic Status Women in the USA. Tobacco Control. Published online first: 2014 Jan 21, doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2013-051224 [cited 2016 Mar 29].
- American Lung Association. Cutting Tobacco’s Rural Roots: Tobacco Use in Rural Communities. Chicago: American Lung Association, 2015 [accessed 2016 Aug 26].
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Best Practices User Guide: Health Equity in Tobacco Prevention and Control. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2015 [accessed 2016 Aug 26].
- American Lung Association. The LGBT Community: A Priority Population for Tobacco Control [PDF–367 KB]. Greenwood Village (CO): American Lung Association, Smokefree Communities Project [accessed 2016 Mar 17].
