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Public Health Week 2008
Programs Profile

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, and tobacco-related diseases kill about 8,000 people every year in Washington State, more than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides and fires combined.

The state Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Control Program works with local health agencies, tribes, schools and community organizations to prevent kids from starting and help adults quit. In addition, it operates the toll-free Washington Tobacco Quit Line and conducts a statewide media campaign that uses traditional media and innovative approaches to reach youth and other high-risk audiences.

Since the Tobacco Program was expanded in 1999:

• The number of kids smoking has dropped 50 percent.

• The adult smoking rate has declined 24 percent (Washington now has the fifth lowest smoking rate in the nation).

• Smoking among pregnant women has declined 30 percent.

Resources

• For help quitting tobacco call the Washington Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit www.quitline.com.

• For information about how to protect you and your family from toxic secondhand smoke, visit www.secondhandsmokesyou.com (soon to be www.SmokeFreeWashington.com)

• To learn about ways youth can get involved in the fight against tobacco, visit www.nostankyou.com.

• For more about Tobacco Prevention and Control Program’s comprehensive effort to reduce tobacco use, visit www.doh.wa.gov/tobacco or call 360-236-3730.