Result - Arkansas Adults Are Living Free From Addiction
Indicator - % of Arkansas Adults who are current smokers
Current Value
20.5%
Definition
How are we doing on the data?
When asked how Arkansas adults are doing relative to the trendline data for the indicator, the stakeholders stated the following:
- Slight decrease over the years.
Story Behind the Curve
Stakeholders identified the following negative factors promoting Arkansas adults to smoke:
- Cigarettes cheaper than vaping
- Cultural factors
- Easy access to tobacco products
- Hard to join a quit group during the pandemic
- Increased vaping switching to cigarettes
- Mental health/drug users use more
- Peer pressure
- Relatively low taxes
- Stress of COVID-19 pandemic
- Tobacco companies
Stakeholders identified the following positive factors preventing Arkansas adults from smoking:
- Increase in vaping
- Low regulation
- Anti-smoking campaigns
- Be Well Quitline - docs refer to it
- Decreased social acceptance
- Non-smoking rules
- Marijuana use increase?
- Businesses give incentives or even don't let you work there
Stakeholders also surfaced the following factors that contribute to healthy inequities
- Certain age groups more acceptable
- Menthol cigarettes
- Places that allow only 21 and up can still smoke
- Tobacco companies targeting minority communities
Partners
Stakeholders identified the following potential partners to strengthen the positive factors or address the negative factors influencing the rate of Arkansas adults who are current smokers.
- Churches
- Doctor's offices
- Hospitals
- Lobbyist entities (outside of ADH)
- Medical and nursing schools
- Mental health/rehab facilities
- Other ADH programs
- Policy makers
- Prevention coalitions
- Schools
What Works
Stakeholders identified the following solutions to strengthen the positive factors or address the negative factors influencing the rate of Arkansas adults who are current smokers.
- Implement an awareness campaign for older adults.
- Commercials with real people who quit.
- Educate about health problems such as coughing, etc.
- From real people talking about how you might have to quit more than once.
- Eliminate smoking in movies.
- Enact a tax-price increase
- Engage in early education
- Ensure that all retailers across the state are publicizing the Be Well Quitline number
- Engage dentist offices or veterinarian offices to publicize the Be Well Quitline number
- Make youth smoke grapevines first
- Outfit smoking products with an anti-smoking buzzer, personal smoke detector i.e., annoying noise
- Provide CT scans for lungs.
- Solicitation of Tik-Tok influencers
- Talk to adults about influence on kids and grandkids- family connection
Strategies
Stakeholders prioritized the following strategies because they ranked highest across four criteria: Impact, Feasibility, Specificity, and Value.
- Conduct targeted outreach and education to children and youth about the dangers of tobacco use
- Engage businesses (such as retailers and medical offices) and public sector organizations (such as veterans’ services) to publicize the Be Well Quitline number or other anti-smoking messaging
- Initiate an ad campaign for older adults with multiple messaging strands (influence on family; quitting might take more than one time; health problems that result from smoking, etc.)
Work Plan for First Strategy
Strategy: Conduct targeted outreach and education to children and youth about the dangers of tobacco use
Action Step |
Lead |
Due |
Heighten the focus on Red Counties, targeting children from communities of color for smoking prevention |
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Assess the data related to this issue with a focus on Red Counties |
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Assess how many youth are educated |
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Determine if additional partners would be useful in taking this to scale (see comment) |
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Identify if there are other media/social media outlets that messaging should target |
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Assess if there are messaging styles/formats that could be helpful in AR |
Work Plan for Second Strategy
Strategy: Engage businesses (such as retailers and medical offices) and public sector organizations (such as veterans’ services) to publicize the Be Well Quitline number or other anti-smoking messaging.
Action Step |
Lead |
Due |
From a community perspective, leverage Hometown Health within ADH to assist with getting the information out |
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Identify new partners at a community level who can be involved in Hometown Health |
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Identify a representative from Veterans’ Services to be part of this effort |
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Hire a state epidemiologist focused on Tobacco that can create data maps to help inform the strategy |
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Engage the AR Cooperative Extension Programs (engaged in agriculture, very entrenched at a county level), could be a great ally (they do Lunch and Learns) |
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Engage State Chamber of Commerce and local Chambers of Commerce |
Work Plan for Third Strategy
Strategy: Engage businesses (such as retailers and medical offices) and public sector organizations (such as veterans’ services) to publicize the Be Well hotline number or other anti-smoking messaging
Action Step |
Lead |
Due |
Clarify the importance of quitting for adults 65+ |
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Develop messaging on the importance of quitting for adults 65+ |
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Partner with UAMS Centers on Aging |
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Develop partnership with AARP |
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Identify additional partners or places where seniors congregate (AARP, doctor’s offices, senior centers, churches, bingo halls, etc.) |
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Engage the AR Cooperative Extension Programs (engaged in agriculture, very entrenched at a county level), could be a great ally (they do Lunch and Learns) |