Unequal Opportunity Killer -World Heart Day Activities

New SGR50 Video and Upcoming Events!

Dear Colleagues: We are happy to share a new video and upcoming events to help you promote the 2014 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health.                                        New SGR50 Video:  Unequal Opportunity Killer Cigarette smoking has devastating effects on health and it is an unequal opportunity killer. People with lower incomes, less education, and certain racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to smoke, so they bear a bigger share of the disease burden caused by the tobacco use epidemic. In conversations with several leaders in tobacco control, Unequal Opportunity Killer shines a spotlight on this health disparity, how it developed, and how tobacco companies have contributed. APHA Live Webcast on September 23 on Tobacco Control Please join APHA, CVS Health, Acting Surgeon General RADM Boris Lushniak, and a distinguished panel to discuss new approaches to helping Americans live tobacco-free lives. The webcast will be on September 23 from 10 AM to 1 PM, EDT. During the webcast, the speakers and panel will explore how traditional and nontraditional partners can come together to reduce tobacco use and ultimately improve population health and reduce costs to the health care system. A diverse panel will discuss this critical health concern and look for new solutions. We hope you will be able to watch the live webcast and participate via the hashtag #APHATobacco. September 29 is World Heart Day This annual event was founded by the World Heart Federation 14 years ago as a global effort to raise awareness that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading causes of death. Each year’s celebrations have a different theme. This year, World Heart Day’s theme is creating heart-healthy environments. The World Heart Federation explains that places in which we live, work and play should not increase our risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). But individuals frequently cannot make heart-healthy choices due to environmental factors, such as the availability of healthy food or smoke-free zones.  This can be a great opportunity to highlight important information in the 50th Anniversary Surgeon General’s Report about secondhand smoke exposure. We know that exposure to secondhand smoke can increase the risk for a heart attack or a stroke.   Read more about this year’s theme. For more information and resources, please visit the Surgeon General 50th Anniversary web site.