Health Care

HealthCare

Studies show that tobacco use is responsible for over 30% of all cancer deaths and is the leading preventable cause of death. Tobacco use is responsible for 480,000 deaths every year and results in over 300 billion dollars of related healthcare expenses and loss of productivity due to early death and exposure to secondhand smoke.(CDC)

Quitting is hard, but 70% of current smokers report that they want to quit and 60% of youth report wanting to quit vaping (Most young e-cigarette users say they want to quit vaping in 2021). The most common reasons people state for wanting to quit is for their health.

Patients want to quit and you can help. Research shows that brief and simple advice about quitting increases the chances that a patient will quit and stay quit. (Stead, L.F., G. Bergson, and T. Lancaster. 2008. Physician advice for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD000165. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000165.pub3.)

Things you can do to support your patients:

• Ask – Add smoking & vaping screening questions into your intake forms or ask in the room
  • Encourage youth to not start:
    • 99% of adult daily smokers first try smoking by age 26. Nearly 90% first try smoking by age 18, and  – Youth and Tobacco Use | CDC
    • In the US, 15.3 was the average age when adult smokers reported smoking initiation, according to a 2014 surgeon general’s report
    • Many people who vape dual use and also smoke. Vaping can also contribute to initiation among youth who previously were not smoking.
    • In 2020, most youth who reported using e-cigarettes used flavored varieties (82.9%). Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults | CDC
    • 81 percent of youth and 86 percent of young adults who had ever used tobacco reported that their first product was flavored – FDA Path Study PATH Study Findings Give Insight into Flavored Tobacco, Health Effects of E-Cigarettes, and Adult Use of Cigars and Hookah | FDA
  • Advise – Educate patients on benefits of quitting and health effects of smoking and advise they quit
  • Refer – discuss resources to help them quit
    • Nicotine Replacement Therapy
    • Cessation Counseling
    • Quitlines
    • Support Groups
    • Coping Skills
    • Navigating withdrawals
    • Alternative things to do other than smoking
  • Address barriers from past quit attempts

• Treating Tobacco Dependence Practice Manual (aafp.org)
• Tobacco & Nicotine (aafp.org)
• Guidance for Healthcare Providers on Evaluating and Tracking Patient Use of E-Cigarettes or ENDS Products | American Lung Association
• Health Care Professionals: Education Your Patients About the Risks of E-cigarettes (surgeongeneral.gov)
• Interventions to Prevent Harms from Vaping (otru.org)
• A Brief Intervention to Help Patients Quit Smoking (medscape.com)
• Clinical Tools | Smoking & Tobacco Use | CDC

Medina County Health Department offers Ask-Advise-Refer trainings and presentations regarding tobacco and vaping upon request. Please call 330-723-9688 ext. 725 or email cvarndell@medinahealth.org to request a training or presentation for your agency.

For more information regarding how to support your patients in quitting, see the following resources:

Guidance for Healthcare Providers on Evaluating and Tracking Patient Use of E-Cigarettes or ENDS Products | American Lung Association