State health officials use social media to discourage the use of menthol tobacco

The State Department of Health Services is launching a campaign to discourage the use of Menthol Menthol Tobacco products, which have history announced to black communities Nationally and in Wisconsin.

Health managers have long warned persons from the risks associated with flavored tobacco. Food and Drug American Administration Prohibited flavored cigarettes In 2009, but not menthol.

“This is an old generation challenge,” said Paula Tran, state health manager for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

The DHS campaign uses social media videos and collaborates with local organizations to discourage the use of Menthol tobacco and inform people of potential damage.

“Menthol is really added to tobacco to make it less hard and allows deeper inhales,” said Tran. He can hang young smokers early. “And that is why, especially around this early initiation time, (this) can really support smoking and longer dependence.”

Tobacco and nicotine are responsible for almost 8,000 Death in Wisconsin each year, according to the DHS. If the menthol cigarettes were not sold, About 17,200 More wisconsinites would stop smoking, according to centers for disease control and prevention. But menthol tobacco has a more impact on certain communities than others, said Tran.

“What we see is that menthol is specifically marketed with African-American communities and other colored communities, as well as young people and (the) LGBT population,” she said.

There are a history of targeted marketing in black communities, health officials said. In 2020, About 80% of black adult smokers said they have smoked menthol cigarettes, while the national number exceeded just over 40%. A 2018 study In Milwaukee, the promotion of the Menthol cigarette was more common in the predominantly black districts.

The DHS campaign hopes to fight this marketing.

“Simply imagine if we could tackle the question of menthol, the impact we would have on health results in African-American communities,” said Lorraine Lathen, director of Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network.

His organization worked for months with the DHS to develop the campaign. They helped test messaging.

“Ensure that messages were going to resonate with the populations we are trying to achieve,” said Lathen.

The pulmonologist Hasmeena Kathuria said that education and awareness campaigns like this were important.

“Each person you can get to stop using the Menthol cigarette is a victory,” said Kathuria, who is the director of the Wisconsin University Research and Intervention Center for Tobacco.

In the future, she hopes for a total ban on Menthol Tobacco products. If not at the national level, by state or in town. A 2023 Study Estimated that a national ban would reduce the number of deaths due to smoking and vaping of around 650,000 over around 40 years. The authors also predicted that more black Americans would stop smoking.

“It is therefore essential to improve equity in health”, “ Said Kathuria.

Wisconsinites who want to quit smoking, or helping others quit smoking can obtain resources via the Wisconsin tobacco leftAccording to the DHS. They can also send SMS ready at 34191, or call the 800-Quit-Now (800-784-8669).