EDITORIAL: Smoking has become a habit of the poor, raising the importance of public health work in Maine
This emphasizes the need for continued investment in smoking prevention and cessation work, which is funded largely through the
Lawmakers have approved legislation to raise the legal age for tobacco purchases in
According to the
Further reducing
In
This disparity has many implications. Adults who receive their health insurance through Medicaid, the federal insurance program for low-income Americans, or who have no health insurance are twice as likely to smoke as those with private health insurance. This means that all Americans pay for the tobacco-related diseases that afflict smokers.
On a human level, low-income Americans have higher lung cancer rates than their more affluent peers. They are also more likely to delay medical care -- often because they lack health insurance -- so they are diagnosed at later stages of diseases, which lessens their chance of recovery.
A study by researchers from several federal health agencies found that men of the lowest socio-economic status were two-thirds more likely to die from lung cancer than their better-advantaged peers. Disadvantaged women were 14 percent more likely to die from lung cancer. Researchers measured social advantage, or status, based on several factors including income, education, labor force skills and housing quality.
They also assessed differences among rural and urban populations. Residents of rural areas are 18 to 20 percent more likely to die from cancer than those in urban areas. Smoking was a significant contributor to the higher mortality rate.
These patterns hold true in
The risk of premature death follows a similar pattern with the highest rates in
Smoking prevention and cessation efforts that are easily accessible -- both in terms of cost and time -- are most effective at reaching these at-risk population.
The state will never have the financial resources to combat tobacco company marketing efforts. So maintaining funding for prevention and cessation is vitally important to improving the health, of both the people and economy, of rural
If you are a smoker who would like to quit, call the Maine Tobacco Help Line at 1-800-207-1230.
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(c)2017 the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine)
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