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Don’t be confused – No smoke doesn’t mean no risk!

Regardless of what some may  claim, smokeless tobacco products, including chew, snus and dissolvable tobacco products, are still dangerous, addictive products. Oftentimes, these products are masked by the sweet smell and taste of candy and fruit flavors – a deceitful tactic of the tobacco industry. Tobacco comes in all different forms now, and many emerging products may not look, smell, or taste like tobacco. Regardless, these products are still tobacco products, and they can’t escape this list of health risks:

Harmful chemicals: There are at least 28 harmful chemicals found in smokeless tobacco products.  One of the most dangerous chemicals, nitrosamines (used in the manufacturing process) are known carcinogens.  Many of these chemicals stay in the body for extended periods of time, and can have serious impacts on the developing minds and bodies.

Increased risk of cancer: Smokeless tobacco has been linked to oral cancer, esophageal cancer, and pancreatic cancer.  In addition to nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic, other cancer-causing substances found in smokeless tobacco products include polonium-210 (a radioactive element found in tobacco fertilizer), and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (potent atmospheric pollutants). Since smokeless tobacco use at an early age provides more time for youths to develop various types of cancer from these carcinogens, it is especially important to prevent addiction at an early age.

Increased chance of other diseases: Smokeless tobacco has been linked to many other conditions and diseases, not just cancer.  Gum disease and oral lesions are often a result of tobacco products that are placed directly in the mouth, such as chewing tobacco.  In addition, studies have shown that heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, is often linked to tobacco use.

Addiction: Tobacco products, even smokeless tobacco products, contain highly-addictive nicotine. Tobacco companies are pressuring our youth to try these emerging tobacco products, knowing that they could potentially become life-long consumers.

Sources:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/smokeless
http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/ProtectingKidsfromTobacco/FlavoredTobacco/ucm183198.htm

Are you Providence’s next tobacco-free superhero?

Superheroes get their name for a reason. They’re role models, stand up to people who try to put others in harm’s way, speak out on things they believe in and live their lives trying to protect and better the lives of others. The truth is, you don’t need x-ray vision or Spidey-Web skills to be one.

You don’t need special powers to be a superhero – you just need to understand what it takes. Being Providence’s next tobacco-free superhero requires a few things:

Knowledge. Know the truth. When you speak out against tobacco, support your feelings with facts – you can read about some on www.tobaccofreeprovidence.org. Did you know, 90% of adult smokers began smoking at or before age 18? Or that in Rhode Island, 1,400 kids become new daily smokers each year? That’s the scary truth!

Support. Every superhero has a group of supporters. Whether it’s people who will stand by you and tell others why it’s important to live tobacco-free, or people who will help protect you from the deceitful tactics of the tobacco industry, it’s important to understand that you’re not alone. To engage with other superheroes, just like you, check out our Facebook and Twitter.

Guidance. As you fight for what you believe in, you can always turn to us for guidance and support. We’re here to work together to build a Tobacco-Free Providence.

Celebrate with us on Thursday, March 29 at 5:00pm!

Thank you for your efforts to help us build a stronger Providence.

As you may know, we have been working on a special, collaborative initiative to make our city a healthier, safer, and stronger community – free from tobacco use. The Tobacco-Free Providence campaign began in September 2010 and has continued to grow in strength, impact and engagement of the community.

We invite you to join us and the wider community as we come together to celebrate the work of the Tobacco-Free Providence campaign on Thursday, March 29, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Our celebration will take place at in the cafeteria of the Meeting Street School, located at 1000 Eddy Street in Providence. At the celebration, you will hear more about the specific successes of the Tobacco-Free Providence campaign and the next steps we can take together to build on those successes.

We will be joined by Mayor Taveras, Providence City Council President Michael Solomon, Providence City Council Majority Leader Seth Yurdin, Rhode Island Department of Health Director Dr. Michael Fine, Meeting Street School President and CEO John Kelly, Jeleny De Leon of Young Voices, and others who also care about the impact tobacco has on our youth, adults and families.

With your help and support, Tobacco-Free Providence has already made a difference. By educating and engaging community members, the campaign has successfully helped to make environmental changes aimed at reducing youth access to tobacco, strengthened tobacco-free living and learning environments, and supported tobacco users who want to quit. During this time, the Providence City Council has passed and Mayor Taveras has signed groundbreaking ordinances that will help to reduce youth access to tobacco.

We credit our community with the level of success we have reached so far, and your continued support is important to us. Together, we envision a city free from the harmful effects of tobacco.

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, March 29. If you have any questions, please contact Alexandra Batista (abatista@providenceri.com / 401.421.7740 x733).

Mayor Taveras Press Conference

Check out this short video with highlights from the press conference announcing the new flavored tobacco and pricing discount ordinances.

Survey Results: Spanish

Antecedente: la Campaña del Dulce Engaño fue lanzada en octubre, 2011 por el Mayor’s Substance Abuse Prevention Council (MSAPC) con el propósito de educar a los conciudadanos de Providence sobre la manera en que la industria tabacalera tienta a los jóvenes no sólo con productos de tabaco con sabor a frutas y dulces sino también con estrategias de rebajas de precio en tales productos. La Campaña recibe el apoyo del Mayor’s Substance Abuse Prevention Council (MSAPC) en colaboración con el Departamento de Salud de Rhode Island y la misma fue posible gracias al patrocinio del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos.
Click Here to download this report in in English.

Click Here to view this report in English
Encuesta sobre los sabores

Recopilación de la información

• Las encuestas sobre los sabores se recopilaron de una muestra de tiendas. Los voluntarios, incluyendo a jóvenes,  provenientes de organizaciones comunitarias, se pusieron en comunicación con miembros de la comunidad en Providence y recopilaron  las encuestas que encontraron. Estas encuestas se recopilaron de entre los conciudadanos de Providence, no se tomó en cuenta las encuestas que fueron llenadas por personas que no viven en Providence. Todas las encuestas son anónimas y reflejan la composición demográfica, la cual incluye: la edad (menores de 18 años o mayores de 18 años), la ciudad, el vecindario, el sexo y si es el padre de familia o el tutor legal.  Tamaño de la muestra: 1.356

• Cuando se encuestó a los conciudadanos de Providence, se instruyó a los voluntarios a que no mencionaran la palabra tabaco directamente para evitar todo prejuicio e impulso en contra de la aceptación social. En vez de eso, se le pidió a los voluntarios que les indicaran a las personas que respondieron a la encuesta que el propósito de la misma era recopilar información sobre los sabores de productos populares. Después que se completó la encuesta, se instruyó a los voluntarios para que hablaran de las implicaciones de usar los productos de tabaco con sabores para así educar al público con respecto a este tema.

Resultados – conciudadanos que respondieron en toda la ciudad (+ de 18 años = 61%; <18 años = 39%; 9% ha usado productos de tabaco con sabor en los últimos 30 días; 7% ha fumado más de un cigarrillo en los últimos 30 días.)

• Solamente el 7% de los conciudadanos de Providence respondió que ellos probarían un producto de tabaco con sabores comparado con un 71% que expresó que probaría un producto con sabor a dulce; un 77% que dijo que probaría un producto con sabor a fruta y un 65% que indicó que probaría un producto con sabor a menta.

• El 45% de los conciudadanos de Providence respondió que sabía de productos de tabaco con sabores a  dulces y frutas y más de la mitad (56%) de dichas personas expresó su disgusto con respecto a esto.

• Casi dos tercios (63%) de los conciudadanos de Providence contestaron que consideran que los productos de tabaco con sabores atraen a los jóvenes.

• Un 17% de los conciudadanos de Providence contestó que ha probado algún tipo de producto de tabaco con sabores.

• Un 17% de conciudadanos de Providence indicó que probaría un producto de tabaco con sabor a dulce o fruta.

Resultados – Jóvenes conciudadanos que contestaron (<18 años)

• Solamente un 6%  de los jóvenes conciudadanos expresó que probaría un producto de tabaco con sabores, comparado con un 76% que indicó que probaría un producto con sabor a dulce, un 75% que indicó que probaría un producto con sabor a fruta y un 63% que dijo que probaría un producto con sabor a menta.

• Un 12% de los jóvenes reportó que probaría un producto de tabaco con sabor a dulce o fruta. Un 9% de los jóvenes que en la actualidad no usan ningún producto de tabaco reportó que probaría un producto de tabaco con sabor a dulce o a fruta.

• Un 51% de los jóvenes respondieron que piensan que los productos de tabaco con sabores atraen a los jóvenes.

Encuesta sobre el precio

Recopilación de información

• Las encuestas sobre el precio se recopilaron de una muestra de tiendas. Los voluntarios, incluyendo a jóvenes,  provenientes de organizaciones comunitarias, se pusieron en comunicación con miembros de la comunidad en Providence y recopilaron  las encuestas que encontraron. Estas encuestas se recopilaron de entre los conciudadanos de Providence, no se tomó en cuenta las encuestas que fueron llenadas por personas que no viven en Providence. Todas las encuestas son anónimas y reflejan la composición demográfica, la cual incluye: la edad (menores de 18 años o mayores de 18 años), la ciudad, el vecindario, el sexo y si es el padre de familia o el tutor legal.  Tamaño de la muestra: 1.228.

• Cuando se entrevistó a los conciudadanos de Providence, se instruyó a los voluntarios a que no mencionaran la palabra tabaco directamente para evitar todo prejuicio e impulso en contra de la aceptación social. En vez de eso, se le pidió a los voluntarios que les indicaran a las personas que respondieron a la encuesta que el propósito de la misma era recopilar información sobre los hábitos de efectuar compras. Esta instrucción está claramente indicada en la parte superior del frente de la encuesta. Después que se completó la encuesta, se instruyó a los voluntarios para que hablaran de las estrategias que la industria tabacalera utiliza cuando determina sus precios y así educar al público con respecto a este tema.

Resultados – conciudadanos que respondieron en toda la ciudad (<18 = 22%; 18-34 = 44%; 35-50 = 23%; 51-65 = 9%; 65+ = 2%; 14% ha usado algún producto de tabaco en los últimos 30 días; 11% ha fumado por lo  menos un cigarrillo en los últimos 30 días; 37% reportó <$30.000 de ingreso en el hogar.)

• La mayor parte de personas que contestaron (59%) no sabían que las compañías de tabaco promueven sus productos a través de descuentos y otras estrategias de precios.

• Casi dos tercios de las personas que contestaron (63%), incluyendo la mayoría de personas que usan productos de tabaco, piensan que los descuentos en productos de tabaco alientan a los jóvenes a usar esos productos.

• Más de la mitad de las personas que contestaron consideran que los descuentos en productos de tabaco deben prohibirse.

• Más de dos tercios (68%) de las personas que contestaron dijeron que es probable o  muy probable que compren un producto nuevo si se ofrece la promoción de comprar uno y llevarse otro gratis. Casi 4 de 5 (79%) personas que contestaron dijeron que es probable o muy probable que compren otra vez un nuevo producto que les haya gustado si se ofrece la promoción de comprar uno y llevarse otro gratis.

• 3 de 4 personas que contestaron (76%) dijeron que es probable o muy probable que compren un nuevo producto si se ofrece un descuento de 50%. 4 de 5 personas que contestaron (80%) dijeron que es probable o muy probable que compren otra vez un nuevo producto que les haya gustado si se ofrece la promoción de un descuento de 50%.

• Dos tercios de las personas que contestaron (66%) dijeron que es probable o muy probable que compren un nuevo producto si el fabricante ofrece un cupón de descuento. Casi 3 de 4 personas que contestaron (73%) dijeron que es probable o muy probable que compren otra vez un nuevo producto que les haya gustado si el fabricante ofrece un cupón de descuento.

Sweet Deceit Survey Results

Background:
The Sweet Deceit Campaign was launched in October 2011 by the Mayor’s Substance Abuse Prevention Council (MSAPC) to educate Providence residents on how the tobacco industry targets youth with fruit- and candy-flavored tobacco products, as well as attractive pricing strategies. The Campaign is supported by the Providence Mayor’s Substance Abuse Prevention Council (MSAPC) in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Health, and made possible by funding from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Click Here to download this report in in English.

Click here to download this report in Spanish

Click Here to view this report in Spanish
Flavor Survey

Data Collection

• The Flavor Surveys were collected from a convenience sample. Volunteers from Providence community-based organizations, including youth, approached members of the Providence community and collected intercept surveys. The surveys were collected from Providence residents – surveys collected by non-residents were disqualified from the analysis. All surveys are anonymous and collected demographic information included age (under 18 years or over 18 years), city, neighborhood, sex and parent/guardianship status. Sample size: 1,356.

• When approaching Providence residents, volunteers were instructed not to mention tobacco directly to prevent social desirability bias and prompting. Instead, volunteers were asked to instruct respondents that the purpose of the survey was to collect information about popular product flavors. After the survey was completed, volunteers were instructed to discuss the implications of flavored tobacco products to educate the public.

Results – Citywide Resident Respondents (18  years+ = 61%; <18 years = 39%; 9% had used flavored tobacco products in the previous 30 days; 7% had smoked more than 1 cigarette in the previous 30 days)

• Only 7% of responding Providence residents said they would try a tobacco-flavored product, compared to 71% who would try a candy-flavored product, 77% who would try a fruit-flavored product and 65% who would try a mint-flavored product.

• 45% of responding Providence residents knew about tobacco products in candy and fruit flavors, and over half (56%) of responding Providence residents felt angry about it.

• Nearly two-thirds (63%) of responding Providence residents think that flavored tobacco products are attractive to kids.

• 17% of responding Providence residents have ever tried any type of flavored tobacco products.
• 11% of responding Providence residents reported that they would try a candy- or fruit-flavored tobacco product.

Results – Youth Resident Respondents (<18 years)

• Only 6% of youth respondents said they would try a tobacco-flavored product, compared to 76% who would try a candy-flavored product, 75% who would try a fruit-flavored product and 63% who would try a mint-flavored product.
• 12% of youth respondents reported that they would try a candy- or fruit-flavored tobacco product. 9% of youth respondents who do not currently use tobacco reported that they would try a candy- or fruit-flavored tobacco product.
• 51% of youth respondents think that flavored tobacco products are attractive to kids.

Pricing Survey

Data Collection

• The Pricing Surveys were collected from a convenience sample. Volunteers from Providence community-based organizations, including youth, approached members of the Providence community and collected intercept surveys. The surveys were collected from Providence residents – surveys collected by non-residents were disqualified from the analysis. All surveys are anonymous and collected demographic information included age, city, neighborhood, income level, sex and parent/guardianship status. Sample size: 1,228.
• When approaching Providence residents, volunteers were instructed not to mention tobacco directly to prevent social desirability bias and prompting. Instead, volunteers were asked to instruct respondents that the purpose of the survey was to collect information about purchasing habits. This instruction is clearly stated on the front, top side of the survey. After the survey was completed, volunteers were instructed to discuss the tobacco industry’s pricing strategies to educate the public.

Results – Citywide Resident Respondents (<18 = 22%; 18-34 = 44%; 35-50 = 23%; 51-65 = 9%; 65+ = 2%; 14% had used any tobacco products in the previous 30 days; 11% had smoked at least 1 cigarette in the previous 30 days; 37% reported a household income of <$30,000)

• The majority of respondents (59%) did not know that tobacco companies promote tobacco products with discounts and other pricing strategies.
• Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%), including the majority of tobacco users, think that tobacco discounts encourage youth to try tobacco products.
• More than half of all respondents (52%) think that fewer youth would try smoking if tobacco discounts were prohibited.
• The majority of respondents (63%) believe that tobacco discounts should be prohibited.
• Over two-thirds (68%) of respondents said they are likely to very likely to purchase a new product if a buy-one-get-one-free promotion was offered. Nearly 4 in 5 (79%) respondents said they are likely to very likely to purchase a new product they liked again if a buy-one-get-one-free promotion was offered.
• 3 in 4 respondents (76%) said they are likely to very likely to purchase a new product if a 50%-off promotion was offered. 4 in 5 (80%) respondents said they are likely to very likely to purchase a new product they liked again if a 50%-off promotion was offered.
• Two-third of respondents (66%) said they are likely to very likely to purchase a new product if a manufacturer’s coupon was offered. Nearly 3 in 4 respondents (73%) said they are likely to very likely to purchase a new product they liked again if a manufacturer’s coupon was offered.

News coverage – plenty of it!

The news coverage of the ban on flavored tobacco products and promotional and prcing strategies has been in newspapers and on TV and radio stations all over!  Here is a list, for you!  Each is a link to their story.

(Print)

1. Providence Journal (news blog): “Taveras signs ordiance banning fruit-flavored tobacco”

2. Providence Journal: “News Digest: City bans sale of flavored tobacco”

3. The Republic: “Providence bans sale of flavored tobacco, prevents promotions that lower cigarettes’ cost”

4. Syracuse.com: “Providence bans sale of flavored tobacco”

5. Noodls.com: “Mayor Taveras signs city council ordinances to protect youth, community members from 6. harmful effects of tobacco, deceit of tobacco industry”

6. Blog.rimix.com: “Taveras to sign city council ordinances protecting youth from tobacco, deceitful practices of tobacco industry”

7. Boston Globe: “Providence bans sale of flavored tobacco”

8. Realestatewonders.info: “Providence bans sale of flavored tobacco”

9. Fahrenheit 172: “Providence bans sale of flavored tobacco”

10. Tobaccoreviews.net: “Flavored tobacco sales banned by the city council”

11. Smokingpleasure.posterous.com: “Flavored tobacco sales banned by the city council”

(Television)

12. NBC 10: “City hopes ordinances will keep kids away from tobacco”

13. ABC 6: “Providence bans sale of flavored tobacco”

14. WPRI 12: “Prov. Bans sale of flavored tobacco”

15. NECN: “Providence bans sale of flavored tobacco”

16. WHLT 22: “Providence bans sale of flavored tobacco”

(Radio)

17. WHJJ: “Providence bans sale of flavored tobacco”

18. ABC News Radio: “Providence mayor signs law banning sale of flavored tobacco”

ABC6 and WPRI Pick up the story

Both ABC6 and WPRI in Providence picked up the Associated Pres story: ”Providence Bans Sale of Flavored Tobacco.”

The city of Providence has banned the sale of flavored tobacco and made illegal promotional strategies that cut the cost of cigarettes.

Click here for the Channel 6 Story.

Click here for the Channel 12 Story.

TFP on WJAR News

WJAR (Providence NBC- channel 10) Featured Tobacco free Providence and Mayor Taveras signing the two latest Tobacco related ordinances.  The story also featured Jeleny DeLeon, a 12th Grade student at Classical High School and  a member of Young Voices.

Click here to view the story

New Tobacco ordinance

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, joined by City Council members, youth and community members, today signed and officially enacted laws to prevent the sale of non-cigarette fruit- and candy-flavored tobacco products, and ban pricing and promotional strategies aimed at lowering the cost of tobacco products, such as buy-one-get-one-free.

For complete details click to view the official Press Release