Ken Wassum, Associate Director, Clinical Development & Support

Traditionally, quit smoking programs have been part of the general wellness package, but I am not sure that makes sense. Why? Let’s start with some of the facts about smoking.

• Smoking kills more than 400,000 Americans annually in the US, which is greater than the number of deaths from illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, suicides and murders combined.

• Smoking continues to be the leading cause of cancer death in the US, with more than 90% of lung cancer in men and more than 80% in women the result of smoking.

• Death from lung cancer in women surpassed death from breast cancer over 20 years ago.

• Cigarettes are the only product sold in US that result in disease and death when used as directed by the manufacturer.

I think you will agree that this is not a pretty picture.  But it is important to recognize that this is not new information. This ugly reality has been part of the health horizon in the US for decades. No other addiction causes this level of disease and death in the US. To some degree the public health and medical fields have become somewhat numb to what should be shocking statistics.

While there are now more former smokers in the US than current smokers, the decline in smoking prevalence in the US has all but leveled out in recent years. The US Public Heath Clinical Practice Guideline (Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence 2008) states as the first of Ten Key Guideline Recommendations that, “Tobacco dependence is a chronic disease that often requires repeated intervention and multiple attempts to quit.” The Guideline goes on to say that, “the combination of counseling and medication is more effective than either alone.” Treating tobacco use and dependence requires specialized training and mastery of some core competencies.

Yet traditionally, quit smoking programs have been lumped in with other wellness offerings, and this is simply not effective.

Please don’t get me wrong. Wellness programs are a good thing - at the worksite they can help people with stress, fitness, nutrition, oral health, yoga and stretching, mindfulness, and other important healthy behaviors. Wellness programs can give us the tools we need to live healthy, happy, and productive lives.

But the fact of the matter is, the skills needed to treat tobacco dependence, as defined by the US Public Health Clinical Practice Guideline, clearly exceed those of most programs in a general wellness offering. It is time that treatment for tobacco use and dependence receives the emphasis and resources commensurate with the degree of devastation tobacco use causes each year in the US.

If you’d like to learn about which criteria to use when searching for a specialized tobacco cessation program, register for our March 17 webinar, “Carving Tobacco Cessation Out of Wellness: Learn How to Make a Real Impact on Tobacco Use in Your Organization,” hosted by guest speakers Dr. Stephen A. Schroeder and Dr. John R. Hughes.