New survey finds one in three sports fans smoke, five out of six smoke while watching sports
New National Smoking Cessation Advertising Now Appearing During Major League Baseball Post Season Games on FOX
A new survey conducted by the American Legacy Foundation(R) (Legacy) finds that the majority (63 percent) of sports fans surveyed are current or former smokers and 76 percent of them have smoked while watching or attending sporting events. The study examines whether sports fans were exposed to secondhand smoke while watching sports; smoked while watching sports at certain venues; or whether those who quit smoking relapsed while watching a game. The survey also examined whether watching sports was a trigger for fans who smoke.
The survey also indicated that 60 percent of sports fans have been exposed to secondhand smoke in the past year while watching or attending sporting events and that 36 percent of sports fans who smoke or used to smoke are extremely or very tempted to smoke while viewing sporting events in their own homes. When the score of the game is close, nearly one third are extremely or very tempted to light up.
Starting this week and through the winter, many smokers will be exposed to new quit smoking messages through the EX(R) national smoking cessation campaign. Legacy, along with the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation (NATC), announced today that the next round of new ads in its two-year old EX campaign are now being featured during FOX Sports’ broadcast of Major League Baseball’s American League Championship Series (ALCS) and World Series. The campaign’s new ad debut includes traditional 30-second in-game commercials, as well as new virtual home plate signage that will be seen during live action.
The placement of the ads during the ALCS and World Series is the first of several that will appear in different sports venues through the winter, including “Bassmasters” programming on ESPN2 and national radio programming on Sporting News Radio. The ads are now prominently featured during ALCS games on FOX and will run in various formats through January to encourage smokers to visit www.BecomeAnEX.org for a free comprehensive plan to “re-learn life without cigarettes.”
“For years, tobacco industry advertisements were prominently displayed during sporting events, circumventing the federal ban on tobacco advertising on television,” said Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, Legacy’s president and CEO. “Through EX, we hope to help fans who smoke to beat this addiction with a free, easy-to-follow three-step plan to quit smoking.”
These new ads may also help to counter the images of players who use smokeless tobacco — both snuff and chew — whom fans of professional baseball are accustomed to seeing. Eight million Americans 12 and older use smokeless tobacco products and annually one million more begin using them. Adolescents who use smokeless tobacco are more likely to become cigarette smokers.
Released just prior to Lung Cancer Awareness Month and the Great American Smoke Out in November, a critical time to help the 43 million Americans who smoke to finally quit, these findings indicate a high proportion of smokers among sports fans surveyed (34 percent). Eighty-four percent of sports fans who are current smokers reported that they smoke cigarettes while watching or attending sporting events.
The NATC encourages fans who smoke to use the EX quit plan, a two-year old collaborative of state and national public health groups spearheaded by Legacy. This is the second phase of EX advertising and promotions which are designed to help smokers “re-learn” life without cigarettes.
EX is more than an advertising campaign. It provides evidence-based tools to help smokers quit, including information that can help them prepare for a quit attempt by 1) “Re-learning” their thinking on the behavioral aspects of smoking and how different smoking triggers can be overcome with practice and preparation; 2) “Re-learning” their knowledge of addiction and how medications can increase their chances for quitting success; and 3) “Re-learning” their ideas of how support from friends and family members can play a critical role in quitting.
Because social support is so important, EX has supplemented its online quitting plan at www.BecomeAnEX.org with a virtual community for smokers who want to convene and collaborate on their successes and challenges in the difficult quit process. Since March 2008, when the program first debuted, more than a million people have visited www.BecomeAnEX.org for help re-learning life without cigarettes. More than 14,000 smokers have joined the online community, forming nearly 300 customized support groups. EX tools were designed in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and with input from former and current smokers who have lived with this struggle, in order to provide smokers with a realistic approach with evidence-based research.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, most smokers in America — 70 percent — want to quit, but in 2000, only about five percent were successful in quitting long-term. Quitting smoking is ultimately one of the single most important lifestyle changes one can make to improve and extend their lives. Tobacco-related disease is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States; smokers therefore need to be armed with all the available information to make the best, most informed choices about the smoking cessation resources available to them.
EX(R) is a collaborative public health campaign presented by the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation, a partnership of the nation’s leading public health organizations and states. The campaign helps smokers prepare to quit and guides them to useful resources that foster successful quit attempts including the EX plan, a free personalized quit plan available on the campaign’s Web site www.BecomeAnEX.org. EX is the culmination of several years of research and testing, combining an understanding of the power of nicotine addiction with messages that resonate with and motivate smokers toward behavior change. The EX approach is peer to peer and focuses on “re-learning life without cigarettes” by encouraging smokers to think differently about the process of quitting. The campaign, which began airing nationwide in March 2008, includes television, radio, online AND out-of-home advertising. The EX Web site helps smokers create their own individual plan to quit and connects them to a virtual community of other smokers where they can share stories and strategies about quitting. Founding members of the NATC include numerous states and the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the National Cancer Institute, the American Legacy Foundation, C-Change, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and clinical partner, the Mayo Clinic.
This survey was conducted using Opinion Research Corporation’s online CARAVAN on October 8-9, 2009 among a sample of 1,027 adults comprising 482 men and 545 women 18 years of age and older. Completed interviews are weighted by four variables: age, sex, geographic region, and race, to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population, 18 years of age and older. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have volunteered to participate in online surveys and polls. The data have been weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the 18+ population. Because the sample is based on those who initially self-selected for participation, no estimates of sampling error can be calculated. “Sports fans” were defined as anyone who watched sporting events, including college and professional baseball, basketball, football, hockey, NASCAR racing, golf, tennis, bowling, and fishing on a regular basis.
Source: American Legacy Foundation
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association says deaths of three Detroit Marathon runners underscore need for more public awareness
The tragic deaths of three runners in Sunday’s Detroit Marathon underscore how frequently and indiscriminately sudden cardiac arrest strikes Americans, the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association said.
“Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can happen any time and anywhere, even impacting seemingly healthy athletes, young adults, and those without any known signs of heart disease,” said Dr. Vince Mosesso, medical director for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA). “Our sympathies are extended to the families of the three Detroit runners, and we will defer to the local medical examiner for conclusive reports on the cause of death, but the collapse of three runners in one race only heightens the importance of greater public education and awareness about sudden cardiac arrest.”
Mosesso said that nearly 300,000 U.S. deaths are attributed to SCA each year, resulting in the collapse of an American about once every two minutes. While early bystander and immediate CPR and AED use have been shown to significantly improve survival, still many SCA victims do not receive treatment fast enough and the overall survival rate remains tragically low at eight percent.
He urged the public to remember these basic facts about sudden cardiac arrest:
– SCA is different than a heart attack, and involves an electrical disruption of the heart that results in a very rapid but extremely weak heart beat, prohibiting the heart from circulating blood and oxygen to the body (as compared to a pumping malfunction from a blocked artery that is often the cause of a heart attack)
– SCA requires immediate CPR and often the shock of a defibrillator to restore the heart’s natural rhythm
– A previous heart attack, coronary artery disease and a family history of sudden death or unexplained syncope (fainting) are among the risk factors that should always be shared with a personal physician, as well as other risk factors such as obesity, smoking and diabetes
– Implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) provide round-the-clock protection for more than a million Americans identified as at risk of SCA.
www.suddencardiacarrest.org
Source: Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association
U.S. Navy athletes compete in 2009 Ford Ironman World Championship Triathlon
Navy triathletes to join world’s top endurance athletes in 31st annual competition
Honoring over 30 years of tradition, six active duty triathletes commanded the strength, courage and commitment learned from years serving with the U.S. Navy to battle one of the most grueling race courses at the 31st annual Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
“Our six Navy athletes accepted this challenge of physical and mental stamina in pursuit of competitive excellence and dedication to serving our nation,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Tom Jones of Navy Recruiting Command. “The Navy is honored to continue its relationship with Ironman and we are excited to see our athletes – all with diverse backgrounds- remain highly committed and push themselves to the limit in this awesome athletic event.”
The race will air at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 19 on NBC.
The six U.S. Navy athletes are among an elite group of 1,800 professional and amateur athletes participating in one of the most prestigious world championship races the sport of triathlon has to offer: 2.4 miles of ocean swimming, 112 miles of biking and a 26.2 mile marathon run through the hot, windy terrain on the Big Island of Hawaii.
This year’s Navy triathletes represent a diverse mix of Navy professionals:
– Captain (Select) Scott Jones, currently serving as the commanding officer of a theater Anti-Submarine Warfare unit in Southern California, is an avid triathlete. An 8-time Ironman finisher, he was named an All-American by both Inside Triathlon magazine and USA Triathlon.
– Commander David Haas, a Naval Academy graduate, is the commanding officer of the USS Thach. Having completed over 20 triathlons including two Ironman-distance races, this is his first time at the Ford Ironman World Championship.
– Commander Wendy Towle, a Naval Academy graduate, will soon take command as the Meteorology and Oceanography Officer embarked on USS Blue Ridge in Yokosuka, Japan. A lifelong athlete, this is her second full Ironman triathlon and first time at the Ford Ironman World Championship.
– Lieutenant Commander Don Cross, an officer with strong Navy family history and a current MBA candidate at Brenau University, currently serves as a Strategic Weapons officer for Commander Submarine Squadron Twenty. Inspired by the annual Navy SEAL Superfrog Triathlon in 1996, he has actively competed in the sport of triathlon since with this being his first Ford Ironman World Championship.
– Lieutenant Nick Brown, an NROTC graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, is a qualified Seabee Combat Warfare Officer and has been selected to serve in the Civil Engineer Corps’ Ocean Facilities Program. A competitive swimmer since youth, this is his third Ironman distance triathlon.
– Chief Petty Office Marty Taylor, a U.S. Navy SEAL, currently serves as Training Leading Chief Petty Officer for the Naval Special Warfare Preparatory Course at Naval Station Great Lakes. Since 2004, he has participated 60 triathlons, marathons and other endurance events including ultra marathons.
Source: U.S. Navy
Ten finalists chosen for Hutch Award
Awardee to be honored at January 27 luncheon
Ten Major League Baseball players have just learned they’re in the running for the 2009 Hutch Award®. A national committee has released a list of 10 players, one of whom will go on to receive the prestigious Hutch Award and visit Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in January. The finalists for the 45th annual Hutch Award are:
– Jonny Gomes, Cincinnati Reds
– Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves
– Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
– Mark Lowe, Seattle Mariners
– Mike Lowell, Boston Red Sox
– Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles
– Kevin Millwood, Texas Rangers
– Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins
– Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
– Mark Teahen, Kansas City Royals
This year’s Hutch Award recipient will be selected in November through a vote of all surviving former awardees. A total of 44 players have been honored since 1965, when Mickey Mantle accepted the inaugural award. Hall-of-Famers Sandy Koufax, Carl Yastrzemski, Al Kaline, Willie McCovey and Lou Brock all have received the Hutch Award, and in more recent years Jamie Moyer, Trevor Hoffman, Craig Biggio, Mark Loretta, Mike Sweeney and Jon Lester have joined their ranks.
The Hutch Award is given annually to the major league player who best exemplifies the honor, courage and dedication of renowned baseball player and manager Fred Hutchinson (“Hutch”). Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center — which was named in Hutch’s honor by his brother Dr. Bill Hutchinson, a surgeon, after Fred succumbed to cancer at age 45 — is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the understanding, treatment and prevention of cancer and related diseases.
The award is presented each January in Seattle, Hutch’s hometown and the site of the renowned cancer center that bears his name. The Hutch Award will be presented at a fundraising luncheon honoring the awardee on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010 at Safeco Field in Seattle.
For more information about the Hutch Award, including a full list of past recipients, or to learn more about the January luncheon, visit www.fhcrc.org/hutchaward.
Source: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Run for Mercy 5K and Family Walk
Mercy Ministries of America hosts 5K run to support homes for troubled young women
On Saturday, October 10, 2009 athletes, families with children and power walkers can support Mercy Ministries of America at the Run for Mercy 5K and Family Walk in Lincoln, CA. Run for Mercy is an annual event for all ages, and children under 12 years of age can participate for free. This year, the non-profit residential program hopes to raise $26,000 to help young women between the ages of 13-28 who face life-controlling issues such as eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol addictions, physical and sexual abuse, depression and unplanned pregnancy.
This 5 kilometer route will start and end at Mercy Ministries’ brand new Lincoln, California home. The starting time for the race is 9:00 am. Participants can either walk or run and should anticipate the race to take approximately 35 minutes for runners and 45 minutes for walkers to complete. Top finishers will receive medals and door prizes will be given away throughout the event. This celebration of hope and transformation will also have family friendly games, face painting and more!
“Team Mercy is by far the best team I have ever run with. I have run competitively since the 6th grade, but this is the first time I had a purpose bigger than myself,” said James Gaines, a past Run for Mercy participant. “Every step I took, it made me think of the Mercy girls and how their lives are being changed through being able to get the help they need, free of charge.” James literally placed a letter of encouragement that he had received from a Mercy girl in a plastic bag, put it in his shoe and ran with it in his shoe the entire race!
Since 1983, Mercy Ministries’ free-of-charge, voluntary Christian residential program has served a diverse population of young women from various socio-economic backgrounds, ages 13-28, who face a combination of life-controlling issues such as eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol addictions, physical and sexual abuse, depression and unplanned pregnancy. Mercy Ministries of America has residential homes in Monroe, La.; Nashville, Tenn.; and St. Louis, Mo., and Lincoln, Calif. Mercy Ministries has global affiliates in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Peru. For more information on Mercy Ministries, please visit www.mercyministries.com.
Now is a great opportunity for the Sacramento community to support this ministry by joining an existing team, forming a new team or registering as an individual participant in this year’s 5K run.
Registration is NOW OPEN at www.runformercy.com/california
Source: Mercy Ministries of America