Reaching for Healthy Signs of Life and Happiness

CDC Speaks to Going Smokeless in the LGBTQ Community

 

 

 COP 24/7 applauds the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office of Smoking and Health (OSH) for including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people among the populations featured in their new ‘Tips From Former Smokers’ tobacco cessation campaign. The campaign features compelling messages from people affected by tobacco use. Other populations featured include African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans/Alaskan Natives.
Locally, The Living Affected Corporation through its STRILITE program has partnered with Future Builders, Inc on addressing tobacco use in the gay community. The organization has begun both training and public forums to educate about
smoking among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals in the United States which is much higher than among the total population.
Facilitator Mr. Lee V. Brown, said the the sessions will offer insights that smoking increases your risk for lung cancer, heart disease, chronic bronchitis, and other smoking-related diseases. Brown stated that there will be sessions scheduled for both May and June at groups offices. Call 379-8203 for more info or www.livingaffected.org

 One of the ‘Tips from Former Smokers’ ads features a lesbian who suffers from asthma triggered by working in a smokefilled bar. Recently released data from the CDC shows that LGBT people smoke cigarettes at rates that are nearly 70% higher than the general population. The Fenway Institute and other organizations have been educating health agencies about the need for LGBT inclusion in public health campaigns for several years. The Fenway Institute’s Network for LGBT Health Equity was involved in consultations with the CDC to help augment the diversity in the ‘Tips From Former Smokers’ ads.

The ‘Tips From Former Smokers’ campaign will include ad buys tailored to populations that have smoking disparities, access to tobacco quitlines in multiple languages, and online materials customized for special populations. Expect to see the ads run on TV, radio, print, and online through June. During 2012, the Tips From Former Smokers campaign resulted in 200,000 additional quitline calls across the nation. For more info www.smokefree.gov