Health News
- Ky. Leads U.s. In Emphysema (copd), But Study Shows Fewer Copd Hospitalizations In Ky. Places With Smoke-free Laws
Click on image for larger versionPeople who live in smoke-free communities are less likely to be hospitalized for emphysema, according to a study by the University of Kentucky's College of Nursing and College of Public Health and recently published...
- Advocates Hope Push In Rural Areas Will Help Pass Statewide Smoking Ban, At Least In The State House
By Justin RichterUniversity of Kentucky College of Communication and Information Kentucky has had a love affair with both growing and smoking tobacco, but supporters of a statewide smoking ban believe that smoke should not be shared with people who don?t...
- Tobacco Use Higher In Rural Areas; Several Factors Include Tobacco Companies' Targeting Of Rural Youth, Lung Assn. Says
Tobacco use is higher among rural communities than in suburban and urban areas, and smokeless tobacco use is twice as common. According to the American Lung Association, rural youth are more likely to use tobacco and to start earlier than urban youth,...
- New Website, Www.sortingthroughthesmoke.com, Offers Journalists Local And State Information On Tobacco And Health
Three Kentucky organizations are launching a website to serve as a one-stop shop for journalists covering tobacco and health issues in Kentucky, and for others interested in documenting the impact of Kentucky?s tobacco use on the health of the state's...
- Statewide Smoking Ban Proposed In Legislature
State Rep. Susan Westrom of Lexington, left, announced her intent to file a bill today that calls for a statewide smoking ban, which would prohibit cigarette use in workplaces, restaurants, bars and private clubs. The Courier-Journal's Laura Ungar...
Health News
Study shows tailored advocacy for local smoking bans in rural Kentucky gets results
Local smoking bans are only possible if the community is ready for this change, Ellen Hahn, director of the Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy, writes in a report of a five-year study she conducted in rural Kentucky.
Nearly one-third of the counties that were the target of interventions adopted smoking bans covering restaurants, bars, and all workplaces, while none of the comparison counties did.
Rural, tobacco-growing areas were chosen because they are "disproportionately affected by tobacco use, secondhand smoke, and weak tobacco control policies," Hahn writes in the study, "A Controlled Community-Based Trial to Promote Smoke-Free Policy in Rural Communities."
Readiness for change can be developed in rural communities that participate in smoke-free policy initiatives tailored to their community, Hahn writes in The Journal of Rural Health. The study evaluated six stages of readiness to determine if a community was ready to support smoke-free policy, and then tailored interventions based on how ready the community was.
The study was conducted in 37 rural Kentucky counties that were randomly selected from those without smoking ordinances or regulations. Nineteen of the communities received policy-intervention strategies, tailored to their readiness, from a trained community adviser. The remaining 18 were used for comparison. Data were collected annually and policy outcomes were tracked over five years.
The study was conducted in 37 rural Kentucky counties that were randomly selected from those without smoking ordinances or regulations. Nineteen of the communities received policy-intervention strategies, tailored to their readiness, from a trained community adviser. The remaining 18 were used for comparison. Data were collected annually and policy outcomes were tracked over five years.
Nearly one-third of the counties that were the target of interventions adopted smoking bans covering restaurants, bars, and all workplaces, while none of the comparison counties did.
- Ky. Leads U.s. In Emphysema (copd), But Study Shows Fewer Copd Hospitalizations In Ky. Places With Smoke-free Laws
Click on image for larger versionPeople who live in smoke-free communities are less likely to be hospitalized for emphysema, according to a study by the University of Kentucky's College of Nursing and College of Public Health and recently published...
- Advocates Hope Push In Rural Areas Will Help Pass Statewide Smoking Ban, At Least In The State House
By Justin RichterUniversity of Kentucky College of Communication and Information Kentucky has had a love affair with both growing and smoking tobacco, but supporters of a statewide smoking ban believe that smoke should not be shared with people who don?t...
- Tobacco Use Higher In Rural Areas; Several Factors Include Tobacco Companies' Targeting Of Rural Youth, Lung Assn. Says
Tobacco use is higher among rural communities than in suburban and urban areas, and smokeless tobacco use is twice as common. According to the American Lung Association, rural youth are more likely to use tobacco and to start earlier than urban youth,...
- New Website, Www.sortingthroughthesmoke.com, Offers Journalists Local And State Information On Tobacco And Health
Three Kentucky organizations are launching a website to serve as a one-stop shop for journalists covering tobacco and health issues in Kentucky, and for others interested in documenting the impact of Kentucky?s tobacco use on the health of the state's...
- Statewide Smoking Ban Proposed In Legislature
State Rep. Susan Westrom of Lexington, left, announced her intent to file a bill today that calls for a statewide smoking ban, which would prohibit cigarette use in workplaces, restaurants, bars and private clubs. The Courier-Journal's Laura Ungar...