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New
Brunswick, NJ - The New Jersey Department of Health & Senior
Services (DHSS) acting Commissioner George T. DiFerdinando, Jr.,
MD, MPH, urged presidents of New Jersey's colleges and universities
to implement strong tobacco control policies on their campuses.
Addressing the New Jersey Council Presidents (NJPC) at their regular
fall meeting, the acting Commissioner stressed the urgent need to
change social norms among college students.
Noting
that the 18-to-24 age group has the highest prevalence of smoking
compared to any other age group, acting Commissioner DiFerdinando
stated: "The tobacco industry spends billions of dollars each
year marketing to these young people. Because tobacco is a legal
drug, there may be a tendency to dismiss its lethal effects. But
let me emphasize that tobacco is the number one preventable cause
of death - both in New Jersey and in the nation."
The
acting Commissioner emphasized that results from the New Jersey
Higher Education Consortium Tobacco Social Norms Project, funded
by DHSS, to underscore the need for immediate and strong action.
The study, which tracked trends in tobacco use by college students
and analyzed New Jersey collegiate tobacco policies, reveals most
college students overestimate tobacco use among their peers and
underestimate the health effects associated with smoking. Students
estimated that only 3 percent of their peers had never tried tobacco,
when actually 56 percent of students had never tried it. Furthermore,
nearly 60 percent of college students underestimated the number
of deaths related to tobacco use by 25 percent. At the same time,
students overestimated by the same percentage the number of deaths
related to illicit drugs.
"These
results affirm that New Jersey students have the perception that
smoking is normative. If we want to reduce the number of smokers
in the state, we have to start by changing the community's views
about tobacco," said Linda R. Jeffrey, Ph.D., Director, Center
for Addiction Studies, Rowan University and lead investigator for
the project, who joined the acting Commissioner in addressing the
Presidents' Council.
Dr.
DiFerdinando concluded with a four-point call-to-action for the
presidents: First, to appoint a person at every college or university
with the authority to enforce tobacco control policies; second,
to create smoke-free dorms and restrict outdoor smoking to a few
areas; third, to prohibit the sale of tobacco products on campus;
and fourth, to promote the cessation services offered by DHSS to
all residents of New Jersey: New Jersey's Quitnet, Quitline and
Quitcenters.
To help implement a strong campus effort, acting Commissioner DiFerdinando
provided the presidents with samples of materials that will be sent
to all campuses over the next few weeks. The materials include a
compelling video of two New Jersey students discussing why they
started smoking and their experiences in trying to quit, as well
as posters and leaflets about New Jersey's Quit services. The presidents
also received a series of posters that are part of a social norms
campaign currently in operation on three New Jersey campuses.
DHSS
has long recognized the need to address certain risky behaviors
among college students, including tobacco use. More than a decade
ago, DHSS established a forum for New Jersey colleges and universities,
The New Jersey Higher Education Consortium, to discuss issues surrounding
substance abuse. Since then, the Consortium has established a number
of activities across university campuses through funding from DHSS,
including the social norms study. In addition, DHSS recently announced
a grant for party drug research among New Jersey's high school and
college students.
New
Jersey Quitline, Quitnet and Quitcenters are no-and low-cost services
provided by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
(DHSS) to help state residents stop smoking and using other tobacco
products. New Jersey Quitnet, www.nj.quitnet.com,
is a free innovative online resource that provides comprehensive,
individually tailored smoking cessation options, peer support, and
access to the advice of trained counselors. New Jersey Quitline,
1-866 NJ-STOPS (1-866-657-8677), offers toll-free telephone counseling
in 26 languages six days a week. Trained counselors work with callers
at every stage in the quitting process, developing treatment plans
that meet the needs of the individual. New Jersey Quitcenters are
counseling clinics with services available on a sliding fee scale.
People can contact NJ Quitline or Quitnet to find a Quitcenter location
near them.
DHSS
funds the New Jersey Higher Education Consortium Tobacco Social
Norms Project with money from the Master Settlement Agreement
(MSA) between 46 states and the tobacco industry. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention recently ranked New Jersey as 11th
among the states in committing a substantial portion of MSA funds
for tobacco control programs. New Jersey's Comprehensive Tobacco
Control Program is designed to reduce the sickness, disability and
death among New Jerseyans associated with the use of tobacco and
exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
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