Tobacco’s Harm

In February 2011, ClearWay Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health released a new Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS) – the most thorough and accurate source of information about tobacco use in Minnesota.The MATS survey found that Minnesota’s adult smoking rate has declined to 16.1 percent – down from 22.1 percent in 1999. In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke significantly declined after the Freedom to Breathe Act was implemented in October 2007. The report identifies areas for improvement as well, including a striking increase in the use of smokeless tobacco products.

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Full Report
Fact Sheet
CDC Article

In September 2008, ClearWay Minnesota, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health released a new Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS) report. These collaborative reports, based on a model developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are prepared and released every four years.The new report has found that Minnesota’s adult smoking rate has fallen to 17 percent. This is down approximately 5 percent from 1999 and is significantly lower than the national average of 20 percent.The MATS report also contains findings in such areas as young adult smoking, quitting trends and the relationship between public policies and quitting. The new report is a follow-up to three previous MATS reports on secondhand smoke, quitting and young adult smoking

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Full Report
Fact Sheet

The Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey conducted in 2003 was produced collaboratively by ClearWay Minnesota, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Health and the University of Minnesota. The study focused on secondhand smoke exposure, nicotine addiction and young-adult smoking

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Nicotine Addiction Report
Secondhand Smoke Report
Young-Adult Report

The first Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey was conducted by ClearWay Minnesota, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health and focused on nicotine addiction and secondhand smoke exposure.

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Nicotine Addiction Report
Secondhand Smoke Report

A University of Minnesota study published in Tobacco Control found that couponing strategies by tobacco companies were a barrier to quitting for Minnesota smokers.

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Press Release
Couponing Flyer

The Minnesota SimSmoke project considered Minnesota data from 1993 to 2011 to determine the effectiveness of tobacco control policies on reducing smoking rates. SimSmoke shows how policies help adults quit smoking and discourage kids from starting

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SimSmoke Press Release
SimSmoke One-pager

A November 2012 supplement to the peer-reviewed American Journal of Preventive Medicine featured eight articles from ClearWay Minnesota-funded research grantees, five articles from ClearWay Minnesota-funded research projects, a review article by two experts from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a commentary by Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Table of Contents Foreword – Minnesota’s Investment in Tobacco Control Research Findings to Inform Practice and Policy Minnesota Comprehensive Statewide Smoke Free Law Short Term Effects on Young Adults Experience of Smokers and recent Quitters With Smoke-Free Regulations and Quitting Minnesota’s Smoke-Free Policis Impact on Cessation Program Participants The Role of Public Policies in Reducing Smoking The Minnesota SimSmoke Tobacco Policy Model Secondhand Smoke and Smoke Free Policies in Owner Occupied Multi-Unit Housing Smoke-Free Home Rules Adoption by Smokers and NonSmokers Minnesota – 1999-2010 Cigarettes and the Somali Diaspora Tobacco Use Among Somali Adults in Minnesota Addressing Smoking During Medical Visits Patients and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Circles of Tobacco Wisdom Learning About Traditional and Commercial Tobacco With Native Elders College Student Smokers Former Versus Current and Nonsmokers Influencing Taft Hartley Funds to Provide Tobacco Cessation Benefits Cessation Outcomes Among Treatment Seeking Menthol and Non-Menthol Smokers Federal approaches to the Regulation of Non-Cigarette Tobacco Products The Food and Drug Administration’s Regulation of Tobacco – The Center for Tobacco Products Office of Science Commentary Realizing the Vision for Tobacco Control

A December 2010 supplement to the peer-reviewed journal the American Journal of Preventive Medicine featured 11 articles from ClearWay Minnesota-funded research grantees, as well as closing commentaries by U.S. Senator Al Franken and Dr. Bradford Hesse, Chief of the National Cancer Institute’s Health Communications and Informatics Research Branch.

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ClearWay Minnesota’s^SM Research Program: A 10-Year Investment in Tobacco Control (Raymond Boyle et al.)
Change in Indoor Particle Levels After a Smoking Ban in Minnesota Bars and Restaurants (David Bohac et al.)
Effects of Clean Indoor Air Laws on Bar and Restaurant Revenue in Minnesota Cities (Natalie Collins et al.)
Employment Change for Bars and Restaurants Following a Statewide Clean Indoor Air Policy (Elizabeth Klein et al.)
Short-Term Effects of a Comprehensive, Statewide Smoke-Free Law on Perceived Opportunities to Smoke (Debra Bernat et al.)
An Evaluation of Health Benefit Modification in Taft-Hartley Health and Welfare Funds: Implications for Encouraging Tobacco-Cessation Coverage (Caroline Au-Yeung et al.)
Secondhand Smoke Exposure, Awareness and Prevention Among African-Born Women (Kristin Dillon and Richard Chase)
Exploring Children’s Secondhand Smoke Exposure With Early Child Care Providers (Jennifer Warren et al.)
Characteristics and Prevalence of Tobacco Use Among Somali Youth in Minnesota (Kristin Guiliani et al.)
Smoking-Cessation Strategies for American Indians: Should Smoking-Cessation Treatment Include a Prescription for a Complete Home Smoking Ban? (Steven Fu et al.)
Smoke-Free Legislation: A Review of Health and Economic Outcomes Research (Ellen Hahn)
Electronic Medical Records to Increase the Clinical Treatment of Tobacco Dependence: A Systematic Review (Raymond Boyle, Leif Solberg and Michael Fiore)
Commentary: Reducing the Disease Burden of Tobacco Use: The Role of Health Reform and Beyond (U.S. Senator Al Franken)
Commentary: Time to Reboot: Resetting Health Care to Support Tobacco Dependency Treatment Services (Bradford Hesse)

A November 2010 report provides the most recent data on the health and economic costs of smoking in Minnesota. Released by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Health Care Costs and Smoking in Minnesota calculates smoking-caused mortality and the financial costs of medical treatment for smoking-related illnesses.The report finds that every year, smoking causes 5,135 deaths in Minnesota, and costs Minnesotans $2.87 billion in excess medical costs.

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Full Report News Release

This report, Unfiltered: A Revealing Look at Today’s Tobacco Industry, highlights how the tobacco industry has evolved for the 21st Century.

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Full Release
Full Unfiltered Report
Unfiltered Executive Summary

A November 2008 supplement to the peer-reviewed journal the American Journal of Preventive Medicine featured 10 articles from ClearWay Minnesota-funded Research grantees, as well as a closing commentary by Dr. Steven Schroeder, Director of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the University of California, San Francisco.

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Introduction: ClearWay Minnesota’s Research Program: Investing in Innovative Tobacco Control Research to Improve the Health of Minnesotans (Barbara Schillo and Joanne D’Silva)
Race and Nicotine Replacement Treatment Outcomes Among Low-Income Smokers (Steven Fu et al.)
Cigarette Smoking Among American Indian Youth in Minneapolis-St.Paul (Jean Forster et al.)
Tobacco Use and Cessation Among Somalis in Minnesota (Kristin Giuiliani et al.)
Sexual Identity and Tobacco Use in a Venue-Based Sample of Adolescents and Young Adults (GaryRemafedi, AnneJurek and Michael Oakes)
The Role of Peer E-Mail Support as Part of a College Smoking-Cessation Website (Colleen Klatt et al.)
Support Person Intervention to Promote Smoker Utilization of the QUITPLAN Helpline (Christi Patten et al.)
Telephone Quitlines to Help Surgical Patients Quit Smoking: Patient and Provider Attitudes (David Warner et al.)
Beliefs, Knowledge and Self-Efficacy of Nursing Students Regarding Tobacco Cessation (Brenda Lenz)
Tobacco-Use Prevalence in Special Populations: Taking Advantage of Electronic Medical Records (Leif Solberg et al.)
Legal and Political Obstacles to Smoke-Free Regulation in Minnesota Regions (Kerry Cork and CarolynForman)
Commentary: Strategies to Reduce Tobacco Use: The Role of State Research (Steven Schroeder)
Acknowledgements

In February 2007, the Minnesota Institute of Public Health and ClearWay Minnesota released findings on the economic impact of local smoke-free ordinances in Minnesota.This report is an update of the 2007 report and includes economic data through calendar year 2006. Like last year’s study, the 2008 report concludes that, based on data available through 2006, there continues to be no apparent economic impact of local smoke-free ordinances on the local economies examined in the report, or on the state of Minnesota as a whole. The data graphs show that reported 2006 sales continue to be in line with historical trends.On October 1, 2007, the Freedom to Breathe Act went into effect in Minnesota. This law prohibits smoking in virtually all indoor public places and indoor places of employment, including bars, restaurants, private clubs and retail stores. The data needed to measure the direct economic impacts of this statewide law, however, are not yet available. Until these data become available, the Minnesota Institute of Public Health and ClearWay Minnesota will continue to monitor the economic impacts of smoke-free ordinances at the local level.

Sources of research data include the Minnesota Department of Revenue, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and the Minnesota State DemographicCenter (Department of Administration).

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2008 Update on the Measurable Economic Impact of Local Smoke-Free Ordinances in Minnesota

A study released in March 2008 found the first scientific evidence that the statewide smoke-free law is reducing health risks to Minnesota workers. Conducted by the University of Minnesota Cancer Center and sponsored by ClearWay Minnesota, the study analyzed urine samples taken from nonsmoking hospitality workers before and after the smoke-free workplace law took effect. Findings show that levels of NNAL, a byproduct of a lung cancer-causing toxin, decreased by 85 percent, and levels of cotinine, a measure of nicotine exposure, decreased by 83 percent.

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News release
Research brief
Full Health Impact Study

The Leadership and Advocacy Institute to Advance Minnesota’s Parity for Priority Populations (LAAMPP Institute) was convened to build the capacity of priority populations in Minnesota to more effectively respond to tobacco issues and to help reduce tobacco disparities.

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Highlights From LAAMPP’s 2nd Post-Program Survey Report (2010)
Highlights From LAAMPP Post-Program Survey Report (2009)
LAAMPP Evaluation Summary of Findings (2008)

The Leadership and Advocacy Institute to Advance Minnesota’s Parity for Priority Populations (LAAMPP Institute) was convened to build the capacity of priority populations in Minnesota to more effectively respond to tobacco issues and to help reduce tobacco disparities.

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Executive Summary
Full Report
Executive Summary (Vietnamese)
Executive Summary (Lao)
Executive Summary (Khmer)
Executive Summary (Hmong)

In July 2009, ClearWay Minnesota, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health released a new report on tobacco use in Minnesota’s African American communities. The report shares findings from data of the 2007 Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey.

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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Full report

In December 2008, ClearWay Minnesota, Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota released a collaborative report showing that the state’s Chicano Latino population smokes at a rate of 13 percent – significantly less than the general population’s smoking rate of 17 percent.

The report finds that only 4 percent of Minnesota’s Chicana Latina women smoke. However, smoking rates remain relatively high among the men of this community (22 percent).

Information from this report is being used to inform health outreach to the Chicano Latino community throughout the state.

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Full news release
Executive Summary (English)
Executive Summary (Spanish)
Full report

These first-of-their-kind qualitative reports examine tobacco use in Minnesota’s Chicano Latino and Southeast Asian communities. Created with input from members of these communities themselves, these reports were created in partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, the Asian-Pacific Tobacco-Free Coalition of Minnesota, Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES) and the Southeast Asian Refugee Community Home (SEARCH).

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Chicano Latino Executive Summary
Chicano Latino Full Report
Southeast Asian Executive Summary
Southeast Asian Full Report

A poll conducted by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota found that Minnesotans support a significant tobacco tax increase. Three out of five respondents favored an increase, and of those, a vast majority wanted a cigarette tax hike of $1.50.

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Fact Sheet

A March 2009 survey founds that an overwhelming majority (72 percent) of Minnesotans support increasing state tobacco taxes.Other findings included:

• At least two thirds of every demographic (political, ideological, age, race, gender, geographic) support tobacco tax increases
• 78 percent of Republicans, 69 percent of Democrats and 66 percent of independents support increases
• Those surveyed cited the health care costs of smoking, helping smokers quit and preventing tobacco use by kids are reasons for increasing taxes

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New Release
Survey Summary
Full Survey Findings

A September 2008 survey found 77 percent of Minnesotans are happy with the Freedom to Breathe Act, the state’s smoke-free law, nearly one year after it took effect in 2007.The survey found the law’s popularity was comparable to that of the Minnesota State Fair, the Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Vikings, and exceeded that of Minnesota institutions like the Mall of America and the State Fair’s Pronto Pups.

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Full news release
Survey fact sheet
Full survey findings