"Great American Smokeout(R)" is Perfect Time to Quit.

American Cancer Society, Leading Ethnic Health Groups Challenge Smokers to Quit on November 15

SACRAMENTO -- California's leading health groups called upon California's smokers to quit smoking on Thursday, November 15, the 31st anniversary of the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. According to the American Cancer Society, there has never been a better time to quit smoking and groups representing California's rich diversity agree.

The Great American Smokeout is a perfect opportunity to motivate Californians to quit. Research shows us that most smokers want to quit and most smokers try to quit- but too many fail. We're committed to helping smokers get the support they need to make a decision to live longer and healthier lives. Promoting a smoke-free environment and expanding smoking cessation events like the Smokeout are critical to helping smokers quit and stay tobacco-free," said Alecia Sanchez, legislative advocate for the American Cancer Society in California.

Tobacco use kills one in five Americans and is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in California. One in three cancers is attributable to tobacco use. In one year alone, smoking caused over 37,000 deaths in California resulting in lost-productivity costs of more than $8 billion. Nationwide, the grim reality is that tobacco kills more Americans than AIDS, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicides, suicides, car accidents and fires combined.

Among California's ethnic communities, the problem of nicotine addiction is alarming. One in five African-Americans are smokers and one in three Native Americans are smokers -- twice the California average. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Latinos in the United States. What's more, African-Americans continue to suffer disproportionately from chronic and preventable diseases compared to white Americans. Of the three leading causes of death in African Americans -- heart disease, cancer and stroke -- smoking and other tobacco use are major contributors to these illnesses according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cynthia Robinson, Program Management Coordinator, for the National African American Tobacco Education Network stated: "African Americans experience higher incidence of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and infant death, all of which are smoking related diseases. The Smokeout is a superb vehicle to get our message out to underserved communities- the very people who are more likely to smoke and be addicted to nicotine in the first place."

Tobacco-related cancer and cardiovascular disease are the top two causes of death among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. For Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, approximately 35% of total deaths are attributed to diseases of the heart and stroke and approximately 26% of total number of deaths is attributed to cancer.

Roxanna Bautista, a Program Director at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum notes that, "California has reduced general smoking rate to 13.3%, but there are still high smoking prevalence rates for specific ethnic groups, such as 31.5% Vietnamese males and 32.23% Pacific Islander males. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders will die each year from tobacco-related illnesses. The Smokeout is a great health promotion event to target hard to reach audiences."

Experts agree that smoking is a chronic, relapsing condition in which behavioral, psychological, and physical factors make overcoming the addiction extremely difficult. Fewer than seven percent of smokers who try to quit remain smoke-free for one year after quitting.

Sharon Chandler, Project Coordinator for the California Black Health Network, Smoke Free Living for African Americans Project, stated that "Many smokers try several times to stop smoking before they succeed in staying quit, so don't give up, keep trying, The Great American Smokeout is a great day to quit again."

According to the U.S. Surgeon General in 1990, people who quit smoking, regardless of age, live longer than people who continue to smoke, and quitting smoking substantially decreases the risk of lung, laryngeal, esophageal, oral, pancreatic, bladder and cervical cancers.

Smokers are urged to call the American Cancer Society's at 1-800-ACS-2345, or to log on to www.cancer.org/greatamericans, to embark on a personal plan to quit.

California residents can also access the following resources to help them quit smoking at:

CalQuits
www.CalQuits.org

California Smokers' Helpline
1-800-No-Butts
www.californiasmokershelpline.com

California Black Health Network Smoke Free Living for
African Americans
www.CBHN.org

National African American Tobacco Education Network
www.NAATEN.com

Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
http://www.apiahf.org/programs/apiten/