Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 3, 1 Malaki 2017 — New Strategies Proposed to Help Native Hawaiian Communities Become Smoke-Free [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

New Strategies Proposed to Help Native Hawaiian Communities Become Smoke-Free

Submitted by the Hawai'i Tobacco Quitline Over the past deeades, tobaeeo prevention and eontrol efforts in Hawai'i have c, o n t r \ h - .^^H

uted to a signifieant deerease in residents i who smoke. While I Hawai'i has the eighth lowest adult 1 smoking rate in the nation, these improvements have not translated

equaiiy aeross aii eommumties. A 2014 study eondueted by the Hawai'i State Department of Heahh (DOH) found the smoking prevalenee among Native Hawaiians is almost double the state smoking rate. In response, the DOH, Hawai'i Tobaeeo Prevention and Control Advisory Board, Coalition for a Tobaeeo-Free Hawai'i, and other eommunity stakeholders seleeted Native Hawaiians as one of its priorities in the new Tobaeeo Use Prevention and Control Five-Year Strategie Plan. The goal to eliminate the disproportionate heahh and eeonomie burden of tobaeeo use will require strategies and programs tailored specifieally to the Native Hawaiian smoker and other priority populations. By 2020, the DOH and partners aim to reduce the smoking rate among Native Hawaiians to 23 percent, or approximately 5,500 fewer smokers, through innovative strategies, including: • Partnering with Native Hawaiian-serving organizations to promote prevention, encourage cessation and provide resources • Developing culturally relevant counter-tobacco advertisements

• Tailoring a prevention education curriculum • Providing culturally appropriate cessation interventions that target the whole family and whole body • Promoting use of the Hawai'i Tobacco Quitline

, Administered by k DOH, the Hawai'i B Tobacco Quitline I provides free phone- ■ based or web-based f coaching and free nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum or

lozenges). Current smokers who are interested in quitting are encouraged to eall l-800-QUIT-NOW or visit HawaiiQuitline.org to enroll in an online coaching pro- [ gram or for a list of community quit smoking programs. For those currently on a journey to becoming smoke-free, remember these helpful tips the next time a craving hits: • Identify where and understand why you're smoking. j Understanding the root cause of smoking helps you address it or navigate away from it. • Write down the reasons why smoking is no longer necessary in your life. Acknowledging these reasons will keep you motivated to push past cravings, triggers and slips. • Keep husy by replacing smoking time with activities that add to your well-being, such as exercising, spending positive time with family, or eating more wholesome meals. • Stay motivated. It's normal to attempt quitting more than onee. It took months and years to build smoking as a habit; it will take dedication and support to quit for good. ■

Smoking in Hawai'i (by the dollar) ls your smoking habit worth more than $2 million? That's how mueh personal finance website WalletHub says Hawai'i smokers will spend over a lifetime. According to WalletHub, Hawai'i is one of the most expensive states to be a smoker, ranking 48th when it comes to both out-of-pocket and financial opportunity costs, and 46th when it comes to ineome loss per smoker. View the full report at www.wallethub.com/ edu/the-financial-cost-of-smoking-by-state/9520.

From the report: The Financial Cost of Smoking in Hawai'i

Out-of-Pocket Cost per Smoker $167,535 Firiancial-Opportunity Cost per Smoker $1,411,246 R^IH^nHHnnnunnnHHHnnnHUHUH>HHHH« > Health-Care Cost per Smoker $173,258 _ ineome Loss per Smoker $283,621 _ 0ther Costs per Smoker $12,926 T otal Cost 0ver a Lifetime per Smoker $2,048,587 Total Cost per Year per Smoker $40,168 lllustrotion: Helson Gaspar

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