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1

• Tuesday, March 2nd 2004
• AMCHP
• Washington, DC
• Sharon Carothers
• Vice President, Program Development
• American Legacy Foundation

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Epidemic of Women and Tobacco Use Cannot be
Over-Stated

• When calling attention to public health
  problems, we must not misuse the word epidemic.
  But there is no better word to describe the
  600-percent increase since 1950 in womens death
  rates for lung cancer, a disease primarily caused
  by cigarette smoking. Clearly, smoking-related
  disease among women is a full-blown epidemic.
  
  -David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., Surgeon
  General, 2001

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Why Women?

• One in five women smoke
• Tobacco-related death is the number one cause of
  death for women
• Women are the primary leaders, activists, and
  gatekeepers who bring about health care system
  change e.g., breast cancer
• Non-smokers are an imperative part of the
  prevention and cessation process

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Support Multiple Women and Girl-Focused Efforts

• Circle of Friends
• Great Start
• Emerging Research Findings from National Surveys
• Co-op Program

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• What is Circle of Friends?
• A grassroots movement of smokers and non-smokers
  and a partnership of
• organizations joining together to
• Raise awareness of the women and smoking issue as
  a major public health concern
• Encourage smokers to quit
• Support friends and loved ones who are trying to
  quit
• Offer cessation resources and drive traffic to
  programs (quitlines, web sites)
• JOIN THE CIRCLE Who is currently involved?
• An extensive and diverse network including
• Media Conde Nast Publications Hearst
  Magazines AOL Time, Inc. Public
  Broadcasting Service Discovery Health Channel
• Corporate QVC, Inc. mark. Bloomingdales
  Weight Watchers Ballys
• Non-Profit Entertainment Industry Foundation
  American Heart Association Girls, Inc.
  National Emphysema COPD Association Hispanic
  Federation

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• Circle of Friends Small Grants Program
• Funding for community-based health and social
  service organizations
• Provide outreach and cessation programs
• Reach priority populations, medically
  under-served women and their families
• Portraits Advertising Campaign
• Feature a celebrity who has joined the circle
  (Brooke Shields Cicely Tyson Jessica Simpson)
• Jamie Lynn DiScala and a new bracelet will be
  launched in Spring 2004
• Introduce Circle of Friends and partners (EIF,
  QVC, mark.)
• Launch Circle of Friends Sunburst products,
  available exclusively through QVC and mark.
• Promotion of 1-800-243-7000 and
  www.join-the-circle.org
• To be featured in all advertising media
  outreach and collateral distribution
• Offers resources and information about quitting
  smoking and how to join the circle

7
Great Start Evaluation Demonstrates Effectiveness

• A free, confidential telephone-based smoking
  cessation counseling program available 24 hours a
  day, 7 days a week, in English and Spanish, at
  1-866-66-START, also online at www.americanlegacy.
  org/greatstart
• Radio, television and print ads available through
  the Co-op program
• Follow-up data being analyzed and published in
  2004
• Each additional Great Start session increased the
  odds of quit success by 45 percent (OR1.45,
  p
• Living with a smoker decreased the odds of quit
  success by 35 percent (p
• The odds of quit success were 2.7 times higher
  for women who have someone to count on when they
  are having a hard time quitting (p

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Interesting Findings from Research on Women
Girls

• One Quarter of Young Women Smoke, Putting
  Themselves at Risk of Addiction and Cancer as
  Adults (LMTS and NYTS data)
• New data from the American Legacy Foundation
  Media Tracking Survey (LMTS) shows that in 2002,
  25 of young women age 16-24 smoke
• Majority of Young, Female Smokers Think About
  Quitting Many Try But Less Than One Percent
  Succeed (LMTS data)
• Many young women (16-24) are considering quitting
  smoking in the near future.  In 2002, 65 said
  they were thinking of quitting within six months
  and 83 believed they would be able to quit if
  they wanted to.
• Girls More Likely Than Boys to Try to Quit
  Smoking, Though Boys are More Likely To Succeed
  (NYTS and Other data)  
• New research based on data from the American
  Legacy Foundations 2000 National Youth Tobacco
  Survey (NYTS) indicates that girls age 12 to 19
  are more likely than boys to attempt to quit
  smoking. Girls who smoke are more likely than
  boys (31 v. 24) to report that they tried to
  cut down or stop smoking cigarettes but were not
  able to do so.

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Co-operative Advertising Partnership Program

• Makes Legacy-produced counter-marketing campaigns
  available to agencies, non-profit organizations
  and other partners for local use at no charge
• Legacy provides 1-for-1 matching media funds to
  ensure the success of campaigns
• If your organization is looking for effective
  ways to generate long-term health-related and
  fiscal benefits, even on a restricted budget, get
  involved in this program. To find out more, visit
  www.americanlegacy.org/mediacenter