Many people remain deeply troubled over the rise of healthcare costs.
Researchers have known for years that the cheapest way to reduce costs is if people would drop their unhealthy habits.
High on the list for changes is smoking.
A recent national report says cigarette use is the leading cause of preventable death among women.
And as New Hampshire Public Radio’s Dan Gorenstein reports, the study finds most states could do a lot more to stop women from lighting up.
According to the Women and Smoking Report Card, 21% of women smoke in the United States.
Treating the diseases brought on by tobacco costs taxpayers over 32 billion dollars a year.
Those consequences mean little to most smokers.
Patricia Bars runs the Girls Inc. program in Manchester.
:54 quitting was awful. I did everything I went to hypnotists. I had the patch, I had medications, I tried cold turkey. I tried everything. Knowing that it wasn’t good for me, but there was something romantic about it, so I romanticized it.
Bars tries to help teenagers in the Girls Inc program quit smoking, she says it’s tough to do.
In New Hampshire, about 28% of high school girls smoke.
That’s about the national average.
Of 11 statistical and public policy indicators used in the national study, the state received 7 F’s.
Debbie Horner of the Smoke-Free New Hampshire Alliance says she wishes that taxpayers in New Hampshire would look at the bottom line.
31:58 ... NH is spending over 440 million dollars on tobacco related healthcare. So we are spending that but we are not investing any of the settlement dollars, or any of the revenue from tobacco taxes to address prevention and cessation. That is a really silly economic decision to make.
Horner cites data from other states that says for every dollar spent on smoking prevention, that state saves 2-3 dollars on healthcare costs.
Under the current budget, the Legislature cut all money for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
Anti-smoking advocates worry these cutbacks will only exacerbate the state’s smoking problem.
Mary-Ann Cooney, with the state Health and Humans Services Chronic Disease and Prevention Division says the budget will force towns to intensify their efforts.
But she believes the state needs to discuss policy on second-hand smoke.
8:50 we need to promote the reduction of second-hand smoke...75% of the people don’t smoke...i think what we could do is talk about the importance of being in areas that don’t smoke.
While reducing smoking in public areas might help improve the health of teenage girls, Patricia Bars of Girls Inc. says the state needs a better approach to connect with young smokers.
Track 12
2:20 hands-on, interactive, informal learning like they are there. It’s not a piece of paper, it’s not an ad, it’s not somebody saying, don’t do that. You have to give them reasons and let them be part of the process. I think if you do anything with youth, and they are not part of the process they think it’s just another adult saying, don’t do that...if they can be part of the solution they will invest.
But putting together a new approach will cost money.
Money the state doesn’t have.
For NHPR News, I’m DG.
