New Tobacco Exhibit/Campaign to Launch at Maverik Center

(SALT LAKE CITY) – As patrons enter the restrooms behind section 124 at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, they’ll be greeted by a red velvet rope with a sign that reads, “The TRUTH: Perspectives on Deadly Tobacco.” It’s the entrance to a new Utah Department of Health (UDOH) exhibit that paints a vivid portrait of tobacco’s painful consequences.

For example, one stall is completely black inside, with a plaque that describes the effect of tobacco smoke on the lungs. Another display is at a soap dispenser, which appears to be covered in tar.  A nearby sign details what’s really behind the yellow tar stains that often develop on the fingers and nails of smokers.

“We were looking for a unique way to tell Utahns just how tobacco makes you sick,” said Janae Duncan, UDOH Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. “People don’t expect to see messages like this in a bathroom, and we hope they’ll resonate as reasons to never start tobacco or to quit it for good.”

Maverik Center visitors will also find two columns in the arena designed to look like giant cigarettes being stamped out. “They’re 12 feet tall and right on the concourse, so they’re sure to grab people’s attention and get them talking, which is exactly what we want,” Duncan said.

Alll the displays also provide information on free and confidential quit resources like the Utah Tobacco Quit Line (1-800-QUIT-NOW) and www.UtahQuitNet.com.

“Maverik Center is excited to partner with the Utah Department of Health to display this creative messaging, which is certain to penetrate the minds of our patrons as to the dangers of tobacco,” said Andrew Carroll, Maverik Center Chief Marketing Officer. 

For the exhibit opening, UDOH is giving away tickets to the Grizzlies’ final two home games of the season. Utahns who have quit or tried to quit tobacco, and who share their story on Tobacco Free Utah’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/tobaccofreeUT, will receive five free tickets for their efforts.

Media Contact:

Janae Duncan

Tobacco Prevention and Control Program

(801) 538-9273

Utah Youth Smoking Rates Decline

(Salt Lake City) – A new U.S. Surgeon General’s report says 3.6 million middle and high school students smoke, and urges states to discourage youth smoking through high- impact interventions, including tobacco tax hikes, smoking bans, and mass media campaigns

“Basically, the report says that the efforts Utah lawmakers and anti-tobacco advocates have made over the years are working, and should be a model for the nation,” said Utah Department of Health (UDOH) executive director Dr. David Patton.

The Utah Legislature approved a $1 per pack tax hike in 2010, and in recent years has also passed comprehensive tobacco control laws and funded effective programs statewide to keep tobacco products out of the hands of Utah youth. The measures have helped bring the teen smoking rate to 5.9%, down from the 1999 rate of nearly 12%. Nationally, 19.5% of teens smoke cigarettes.

“Studies show that when cigarettes get more expensive, teens stop buying them,” said Amy Sands, UDOH Tobacco Prevention and Control Program manager. “We can thank lawmakers, as well as the efforts of our local health departments, educators, and parents for protecting the current and future health of our young people.”

Over the last decade, illegal tobacco sales to underage youth during compliance checks  declined by 64%. At 5.7%, the rate of non-compliance is at its lowest recorded level. The 2010 tax hike also brought per capita sales of cigarettes down from 26.7 packs to 22.3 packs in 2011, the largest one-year decline since 1997.

While strides have been made in fighting tobacco addiction, more remains to be done:

•     More than 200,000 youth and adults in Utah continue to smoke.

•     The tobacco industry spends $60 million annually in Utah recruiting replacement smokers for the 1,150 who die from tobacco addiction.

•     For every tobacco-related death, at least two youths or young adults become new regular smokers, and nearly 90 percent of these “replacement smokers” try their first cigarette by age 18. 

•     Cigarette smoking immediately and permanently harms the health of kids and young adults.  Smoking quickly causes nicotine addiction, cardiovascular damage, and slows lung growth.

“We have every intention to continue our vigilance in protecting our children and addressing this leading cause of preventable death in Utah,” says Sands. “Working together to implement the findings of this report we can further benefit the youth and young adults of Utah.”

For more information or help quitting tobacco visit http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/.

To see the Surgeon General’s report go to http://www.cdc.gov/Features/YouthTobaccoUse/.

Media Contact:

Karlee Adams

Health Program Specialist

(o) 801-538-6992

(m) 801-389-3709

 

UDOH, Partners Remind Utahns to Get Colon Screening Test

Salt Lake City – Colon cancer is the second-leading cancer killer of men and women in both the United States and Utah. In recognition of March as Colon Cancer Awareness Month, the Utah Cancer Action Network (UCAN) and the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) are encouraging all Utahns 50 or over to get a colonoscopy.

The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 780 new cases of colon cancer in Utah in 2012. Fortunately, screening tests can find precancerous polyps that can be removed before they turn into cancer.

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that colon cancer screening is key because finding and removing precancerous polyps seems to cut the death rate of colorectal cancer in half.

“There are no early warning signs of colon cancer, which is why screening is so important,” said Sylinda Lee, media coordinator, UDOH. “If everyone 50 or over had regular screening tests, at least 60% of deaths from colon cancer could be prevented,” she added.

“The goal of UCAN is to educate Utahns about how to prevent cancer, encourage them to get screened, and ultimately prevent cancer deaths,” said Lynette Hansen, chair of UCAN.  “Colon cancer screening should not just be important to men and women over 50, it should be important to anyone who loves or cares about someone over 50,” added Hansen.  “Tell them you love them; tell them to get a colonoscopy.” 

In an effort to raise awareness of colon cancer and the importance of getting screened, activities will take place throughout March, including the second annual “Buns Up” 5K Walk/Run hosted by Mountain West Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (MWSGNA).

For more information on colon cancer, or for the Buns Up 5K, visit http://www.ucan.cc/  or http://www.bunsup5k.org/.

Media Contact:

Sylinda Lee

Media Coordinator

(o) 801-538-6829

(m) 435-760-0685

Free Screenings, Cooking Demos at Diabetes Expo

What:              The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) and American Diabetes Association are hosting a FREE Expo to get important information to people with diabetes, their families and friends. The event will feature cooking demonstrations sponsored by Harmons, product and service exhibitors, and leading experts talking about diabetes management and prevention. The UDOH Diabetes Prevention and Control Program will have a booth where people can find out about community resources and free classes that help manage diabetes, and get their picture taken at the Faces of Diabetes photo booth.

Why:                More than 120,000 Utah adults (about 6 percent of adults, or one in 17) have been diagnosed with diabetes. Roughly 45,000 more have diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed (making the total number about 165,000, or 8 percent of the adult population). Because they are not diagnosed, and therefore not being treated, these individuals are vulnerable to complications that could be delayed or prevented. In addition, about one in three adults have prediabetes, which raises a person's risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

  

Who:               Cooking demonstrations at 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. 

                        Presentation by Dr. Jim Chamberlain, MD “Are You and Your Physician Up to Date with Diabetes Care Standards?” at 12:00 p.m.

                        Deni Hill, Biggest Loser contestant and At-Home winner at 1:00 p.m.

                                                                                                                                               

When:             Saturday, February 25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where:           South Towne Expo Center

                       9575 South State Street

                       Sandy, UT  84070

 For a detailed schedule, visit www.health.utah.gov/diabetes 

-End-

Utah Teens Get Creative to Prevent Dating Violence

(Murray, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) recognized several Utah teens for their efforts to bring attention to dating violence during a “Healthy Relationships” rock concert at Murray High School Tuesday evening. The students participated in a multimedia art contest as part of Utah’s 2012 Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month, which is observed across the country each February.

AshLee Bambrough urged concertgoers to take dating violence seriously and to get help if they or someone they know is in an abusive relationship. Bambrough was nearly killed six months ago after her boyfriend pushed her out of a vehicle traveling at 65 miles per hour.

Data from the UDOH 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a national survey conducted every two years in public high schools throughout Utah, show that nearly 12% of high school students, or one in eight, said they were hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend. While many people think of dating violence as physical abuse, it also includes verbal and emotional abuse.

Kolten Cooke, a student from Murray High School, won the YouTube video category for his entry. “We made this video in order to spread awareness of teen dating abuse in what we hoped wasn’t a cheesy way. We wanted to stick with the facts and leave a memorable impression.”

The contest invited 7th–12th grade students from across Utah to create a visual art project, YouTube video, or written work that educates teens about dating violence. Grand prize winners were:

•   Molina Phear, Hunter High, West Valley City, Visual Arts Category

•   Kolton Cooke, Murray High School, Murray, YouTube Video Category

•   Emir Sabic, Valley Junior High School, Salt Lake City, Written Works Category

Honorable mentions were also given to Sierra Moosman, a student at Alta High School in Sandy, and Whitney Staples, a student at Cedar City High School in Cedar City, for their written works entries. Each winner received two suite tickets to a Utah Grizzlies game, a plaque, and a visual arts, film production, or writing class valued at $190-$300 from the Visual Arts Institute, Spy Hop Productions, and Higher Ground Learning Center.

The winning entries can be viewed at http://health.utah.gov/vipp/datingviolence/awarenessweek.html.

 

“Our hope in doing this contest each year is to get teens and parents talking about dating violence and how to build healthy and respectful relationships,” said Katie McMinn, UDOH Violence and Injury Prevention Program.

Help is available for victims of dating violence by calling the toll-free, 24-hour Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis and Information Hotline at 1-888-421-1100 or the Utah Domestic Violence Link Line at 1-800-897-LINK (5465).  For resources on dating violence, visit http://health.utah.gov/vipp/datingviolence/overview.htm or join the Utah Teen Dating Scene Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/UtahTeenDatingScene.

 

Media Contact:

Katie McMinn

Violence and Injury Prevention Program

(o) 801-538-9277 (m) 801-856-6697