Through with Chew Week (February 15-21) is an annual effort to call attention to the use of smokeless tobacco. Throughout the week, public health’s goal is to educate people about the harmful effects of smokeless tobacco and encourage them to be “through with chew.” According to Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health and the North Dakota Center for Tobacco Prevention and Control Policy (the Center), events like “Through with Chew” Week are increasingly important because more youth report using smokeless tobacco products in recent years.
The 2013 North Dakota Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) reports that 13.8 percent of high school students use chewing tobacco, snuff or dip compared to 8.8 percent nationally (high school: 2013 YRBS).
Slick advertising and marketing by tobacco companies is a major contributor behind the increased use of smokeless products among our youth. One of the ways tobacco companies market is by making kid-friendly flavors of products like cherry, apple and citrus, and placing them in colorful packaging that appeal to our youth. Tobacco companies spend millions of dollars promoting smokeless products because in addition to the kid-friendly flavors, these products can often be used where smoking is not allowed.
“Studies show that flavored tobacco products are especially attractive to our youth, which is concerning because the younger they are when they begin to use tobacco, the more likely they will become addicted to nicotine,” said Jeanne Prom, Executive Director for the Center. “The flavored products are considered ‘starter’ products, and are part of the tobacco companies’ strategy to replace those users that have either quit or died.”
The 2014 50th Anniversary Surgeon General’s Report reiterates that one of the most effective ways to reduce youth tobacco use rates is to make tobacco less affordable. Higher prices on tobacco products discourage young people from starting in the first place.
Tobacco companies also market smokeless products as safer alternatives to cigarettes. “There’s no such thing as a safe tobacco product,” said Jordyn Geisenhof with Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health. Smokeless tobacco products cause oral cancer, mouth sores, tooth decay, permanent discoloration of the teeth, and myriad other health problems. “Despite the false claims made by tobacco companies, smokeless products cause serious health problems and can lead to future smoking.”
The 2012 Surgeon General’s report (Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults—A Report of the Surgeon General) says that young people sometimes use smokeless tobacco products in places where tobacco is banned, such as schools because these products are easier to conceal. In addition, most young people who use these smokeless products also smoke cigarettes.
“We need to continue educating people about the negative effects of tobacco use, and encouraging and supporting tobacco users who want to quit,” said Geisenhof. “That’s exactly why events like “Through with Chew” Week are so important.”
To learn more about big tobacco’s slick advertising and the dangers of tobacco use, visit www.breathend.com.