The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing a new rule that, if finalized, would make cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products minimally or nonaddictive by limiting the level of nicotine in those products. Smoking cigarettes, which contain nicotine, an addictive chemical, is estimated to kill nearly half a million people in the U.S. each year. The proposed rule aims to make cigarettes less addictive, prevent young people from starting smoking, and promote quitting smoking among all groups. The FDA wants your comment on the proposed rule. You can submit a model comment created by Salud America! urging the FDA to make cigarettes and other tobacco products less addictive. This comment period is open until Sept. 15, 2025. COMMENT ...
Did you know that smoking one single cigarette can burn 20 minutes off of your life expectancy? This is according to a UK-based study, which also found that smokers lose about the same number of healthy years as they do total years of life. “Thus smoking primarily eats into the relatively healthy middle years rather than shortening the period at the end of life, which is often marked by chronic illness or disability,” according to the study. While the study focused on the UK, life expectancy and smoking are big issues in the US, too. Today, there are over 480,000 US deaths each year caused by smoking and smoke exposure, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Let’s dig deeper into this issue and learn more about how this impacts ...
The 2025 New Year brings about new resolutions for many hoping to adopt a healthier lifestyle like eating healthier or exercising more. Quitting smoking could help, too. With several health problems stemming from smoking including cancer, heart disease, and respiratory infections, why not quit smoking as a resolution? Let’s dive into the facts and benefits of leaving smoking behind in 2024!
Rates of Latino Smokers
49.2 million (19.8%)—or nearly 1 in 5—U.S. adults reported current tobacco product use in 2022, according to the CDC. How does this impact Latinos? About 1 in 13 (7.7%) Hispanic or Latino adults in the U.S. smokes cigarettes, according to the CDC. Cigarette smoking also is more common for Latino men than Latinas. Latino youth can also be targeted ...
Dr. Patricia Chalela, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio, has been named the IBC Foundation Endowed Professorship in Health Promotion Research. The International Bancshares Corporation (IBC) Foundation is a private foundation affiliated with IBC and its subsidiary banks. It is dedicated to supporting charities that enrich the community and improve the health and wellness of people in Texas and Oklahoma. The foundation made a $2 million donation that established four endowed professorships at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Chalela's endowment, which is for $500,000, aims to help her advance novel research in health promotion. "I am deeply honored and sincerely grateful to be nominated as the recipient of the IBC Foundation ...
You don’t have to stop smoking in one day. Start with Day 1. On Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, you can join thousands of people who will begin their smoke-free journey with the Great American Smokeout. This annual event from the American Cancer Society encourages smokers to make a plan to stop smoking. Need help? Enroll in Quitxt, a free English or Spanish text-message service that turns your phone into a personal “quit smoking” coach from UT Health San Antonio. To join Quitxt, text “iquit” (for English) or “lodejo” (for Spanish) to 844-332-2058. “For the Great American Smokeout, we’re excited to share Quitxt to provide real-time help with motivation to quit, setting a quit date, handling stress, and much more, all on your phone,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, ...
Use of tobacco is one of the biggest modifiable risk factors for major and chronic diseases. The prolonged use or overuse of tobacco and nicotine continues to wreak havoc on populations, especially disadvantaged populations such as Latinos, putting them at higher risk for these diseases. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released its annual report on the state of mental health and substance use in the US. Based on results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States covers mental health and substance use, including tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, and more. In part one of our series, we’re going to explore the report and find out how using tobacco and nicotine ...
On May 31, you can join thousands of people who will begin their smoke-free journey on World No Tobacco Day! This annual event from the World Health Organization to "draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes." Need help quitting smoking? Enroll in Quitxt, a free English or Spanish text-message service that turns your phone into a personal “quit smoking” coach from UT Health San Antonio. To join Quitxt, text “iquit” (for English) or “lodejo” (for Spanish) to 844-332-2058. “On World No Tobacco Day, we’re excited to share Quitxt to provide real-time help with motivation to quit, setting a quit date, handling stress, and much more, all on your phone,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Salud America! ...
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently unanimously upheld the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s mandate for graphic health warning labels on cigarette packs and advertising. The graphic health warning labels show written statements with photo-realistic color images depicting some serious health risks of cigarette smoking. Risks include impact to fetal growth, cardiac disease, diabetes, and more. In recent years, Salud America! members sent emails to FDA in favor of the labels. Now, the appeals court upheld the FDA requirement for the labels and rejected “arguments from R.J. Reynolds that the labels violate the First Amendment or take up too much space on packages,” according to the Public Health Law Center (PHLC). “In upholding the graphic ...
Many know of the harms and health risks of smoking and secondhand smoke. However, you may not have heard of thirdhand smoke, which is the chemical pollutants that linger and settle indoors after tobacco is smoked. “The chemicals in thirdhand smoke include nicotine as well as cancer-causing substances such as formaldehyde, naphthalene and others,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Policy gaps are failing to protect the public from thirdhand smoke, according to a recent study. The study suggests that policies safeguard against thirdhand smoke even as they protect against secondhand smoke exposure by prohibiting indoor smoking in public places. “While these measures have been instrumental in protecting public health, saving lives, and reducing health care ...
Comment Now to Reduce Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing a new rule that, if finalized, would make cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products minimally or nonaddictive by limiting the level of nicotine in those products. Smoking cigarettes, which contain nicotine, an addictive chemical, is estimated to kill nearly half a million people in the U.S. each year. The proposed rule aims to make cigarettes less addictive, prevent young people from starting smoking, and promote quitting smoking among all groups. The FDA wants your comment on the proposed rule. You can submit a model comment created by Salud America! urging the FDA to make cigarettes and other tobacco products less addictive. This comment period is open until Sept. 15, 2025. COMMENT ...
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