Respnse from CDC media and that AD re:Collapsed lung

[nomore stinkies]

I just couldn't help myself when I saw that ad from the CDC regarding the lady that smoked cigarettes and e-cigs then her lung collapsed. Yes I wrote them. This was their response. I love their spin and lecture on smoking. Like we don't know. (And yes I wrote them back again and gave them some updated literature-seems they are a little behind the times). Was this your take on that ad?
From:tobaccomediacampaign@cdc.gov
Subject: Your feedback regarding Tips From Former Smokers
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 2015 20:51:25 +0000
Thank you again for contacting theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Your e-mail regarding TipsFrom Former Smokers was forwarded by CDC-INFO to the Office on Smoking andHealth.
We appreciate your feedback concerningKristy’s ad. Like all of the individuals who are shown in Tips ads,Kristy is sharing her personal story in order to motivate individuals to quitsmoking cigarettes completely.
Thekey message of Kristy’s ad is that the only way you can completely protect yourhealth is to quit smoking completely, and that even smoking a few cigarettesper day is dangerous. Kristy’s story is that she was a heavy smoker for manyyears and began having smoker’s cough and shortness of breath. She triede-cigarettes because she thought it would help her feel better, and while shecut down on the number of cigarettes she smoked during this time, she never stoppedsmoking completely. She ultimately gave up the e-cigarettes and went back tojust smoking cigarettes. Because she did not quit smoking cigarettes, Kristy’slung eventually collapsed and she was diagnosed with early chronic obstructivepulmonary disease (COPD). This finally gave her the motivation she needed toquit completely.
Available surveillance data show that,like Kristy, most e-cigarette users also smoke cigarettes, which means theirhealth is still at significant risk. Among current e-cigarette users, theproportion of current cigarette smokers was 72.0% during 2010–2011 and 76.8%during 2012–2013. Kristy’s ad was created to convey the message to thispopulation that they must stop smoking cigarettes completely to safeguard theirhealth.
Smoking remains the leading cause ofpreventable death and disease in the United States, killing more than 480,000Americans each year. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30people live with a serious smoking-related illness. The Tips campaign is proven to motivate smokers to quitfor good. As a result of the 2012 campaign:

• An estimated 1.64 million Americans tried to quit smoking.
• About 100,000 smokers are expected to stay quit for good.
• An estimated 6 million nonsmokers talked with friends and family about the dangers of smoking, and an estimated 4.7 million additional nonsmokers recommended cessation services to their friends and family.

Once again, we appreciate your takingthe time to contact us regarding Tips From Former Smokers and hope thatthe information we have provided is helpful.
Sincerely,
Office on Smoking and Health
National Center for Chronic DiseasePrevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control andPrevention

 

[caramel]

IMHO the ad was conveying a different message.

 

[philoshop]

"...they must stop smoking..."
I don't like it when bureaucrats tell me that I must do something.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Yeah...I don't respond well to imperatives, either.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Are these fine folks at the CDC trying to say she would have quit smoking if she hadn't have used ecigs? Oh boy...

 

[edyle]

I just couldn't help myself when I saw that ad from the CDC regarding the lady that smoked cigarettes and e-cigs then her lung collapsed. Yes I wrote them. This was their response. I love their spin and lecture on smoking. Like we don't know. (And yes I wrote them back again and gave them some updated literature-seems they are a little behind the times). Was this your take on that ad?
From:tobaccomediacampaign@cdc.gov
Subject: Your feedback regarding Tips From Former Smokers
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 2015 20:51:25 +0000
Thank you again for contacting theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Your e-mail regarding TipsFrom Former Smokers was forwarded by CDC-INFO to the Office on Smoking andHealth.
We appreciate your feedback concerningKristy’s ad. Like all of the individuals who are shown in Tips ads,Kristy is sharing her personal story in order to motivate individuals to quitsmoking cigarettes completely.
Thekey message of Kristy’s ad is that the only way you can completely protect yourhealth is to quit smoking completely, and that even smoking a few cigarettesper day is dangerous. Kristy’s story is that she was a heavy smoker for manyyears and began having smoker’s cough and shortness of breath. She triede-cigarettes because she thought it would help her feel better, and while shecut down on the number of cigarettes she smoked during this time, she never stoppedsmoking completely. She ultimately gave up the e-cigarettes and went back tojust smoking cigarettes. Because she did not quit smoking cigarettes, Kristy’slung eventually collapsed and she was diagnosed with early chronic obstructivepulmonary disease (COPD). This finally gave her the motivation she needed toquit completely.
Available surveillance data show that,like Kristy, most e-cigarette users also smoke cigarettes, which means theirhealth is still at significant risk. Among current e-cigarette users, theproportion of current cigarette smokers was 72.0% during 2010–2011 and 76.8%during 2012–2013. Kristy’s ad was created to convey the message to thispopulation that they must stop smoking cigarettes completely to safeguard theirhealth.
Smoking remains the leading cause ofpreventable death and disease in the United States, killing more than 480,000Americans each year. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30people live with a serious smoking-related illness. The Tips campaign is proven to motivate smokers to quitfor good. As a result of the 2012 campaign:

• An estimated 1.64 million Americans tried to quit smoking.
• About 100,000 smokers are expected to stay quit for good.
• An estimated 6 million nonsmokers talked with friends and family about the dangers of smoking, and an estimated 4.7 million additional nonsmokers recommended cessation services to their friends and family.

Once again, we appreciate your takingthe time to contact us regarding Tips From Former Smokers and hope thatthe information we have provided is helpful.
Sincerely,
Office on Smoking and Health
National Center for Chronic DiseasePrevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control andPrevention

that sounds like they're interpreted their stats asks backwards.

Among current e-cigarette users, theproportion of current cigarette smokers was 72.0%

more likely that:
Among the current cigarette smokers, the proportion of e-cigarette users was 72%

because smokers are likely to try e-cigs, but people who have actually become 'ecig users' no longer need to smoke cigarettes.

It isn't realistic to describe a smoker to tried an ecig or who tries ecigs occasionally as an ecig user.

 

[Bob Chill]

What a laughable response from the CDC. They spend millions advertising one thing and then when questioned privately they convey a different explanation. One that doesn't support the message on air. And there's more coming down the pipe. It's a crime against the health of US Citizens. All we can do is keep blowing up news articles with comments and continue pounding decision makers. It's not likely to change the course we're headed in but at least individually we can say "I didn't lie down in the face opposition and fought for what was important to me".

 

[KattMamma]

What a laughable response from the CDC. They spend millions advertising one thing and then when questioned privately they convey a different explanation. One that doesn't support the message on air. And there's more coming down the pipe. It's a crime against the health of US Citizens. All we can do is keep blowing up news articles with comments and continue pounding decision makers. It's not likely to change the course we're headed in but at least individually we can say "I didn't lie down in the face opposition and fought for what was important to me".

Exactly.

Little old me isn't likely to make much difference, but my conscience won't allow me to just lie down and take this abuse.

 

[Moonbogg]

I think they want to show that e-cigs are not a good cessation device. That is one of the major good things about e-cigs and they want to knock that pillar of truth down to help pave the way for heavy regulation IMO. If you want to quit smoking safely, use drugs sold by BP. E-cigs don't work. That's the message.

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

When they ban chantix which has reached 600+ suicides I may start to believe that some of them are actually interested in public health. Does anyone here think that if there were 6 provable e-cigarette deaths that they wouldn't have allready banned them?

 

[Bob Chill]

When they ban chantix which has reached 600+ suicides I may start to believe that some of them are actually interested in public health. Does anyone here think that if there were 6 provable e-cigarette deaths that they wouldn't have allready banned them?

Deaths? Find me 6 exclusive ecig USERS that have proven health complications specifically from vaping. Heck, find me one.

The CDC offered cold hard cash to find one and couldn't.

 

[Cheechako]

Deaths? Find me 6 exclusive ecig USERS that have proven health complications specifically from vaping. Heck, find me one.

The CDC offered cold hard cash to find one and couldn't.

I would not be surprised to see some individual step forward and say, "E-cigarettes turned me into a newt!"

 

[nomore stinkies]

Well thanks for your opinions. Just what I thought. It just encourages me to write them all the more. Turned into a newt....laughed right of my chair. Yeah I haven't received any calls from the CDC regarding my positive health experience. A little bent to one side I'd say.

 

[mcclintock]

The previous summary of this here sounded to me to be saying exactly the same thing: it's not the vaping it's the smoking. There also seems to be a new push against light smoking, for example a new Australian study (www. abc.net.au /am/content/2013/s3866829.htm) -- although this calls 10 cigs a day a light smoker. It may be in terms of a regular average but someone trying to quit by cutting down or dual-use will spend a while using less than that ... (actually it's been a few years since I smoked more than the equivalent of 10 commercially-made, fully-packed non-FSC cigs, or maybe 4 FSCs (if any comparison is possible)).

 

[caramel]

Given that one serving portion is one cigarette. And comparing with something like cake. I'd say that light smoking would mean 1 cigarette per week or less.

If I were able to be a light smoker in that sense, I would had never bothered quitting.

 

[AndriaD]

Given that one serving portion is one cigarette. And comparing with something like cake. I'd say that light smoking would mean 1 cigarette per week or less.

If I were able to be a light smoker in that sense, I would had never bothered quitting.

Agreed; those who most need e-cigs are those compelled to smoke a pack or more every damn day, no matter what. Granted, cigarette addiction does NOT affect every single smoker that way, I've known a few very light smokers, but the exceptions are far less numerous than the addicted, compelled type of smoker, who knows from 1st hand experience exactly how bad they are for their health, but can't seem to shuck them off. Like some bodysnatcher leech or something. The tentacles are deep, and many.

Andria

 

[DrMA]

that sounds like they're interpreted their stats asks backwards.

more likely that:
Among the current cigarette smokers, the proportion of e-cigarette users was 72%

because smokers are likely to try e-cigs, but people who have actually become 'ecig users' no longer need to smoke cigarettes.

It isn't realistic to describe a smoker to tried an ecig or who tries ecigs occasionally as an ecig user.

Amazing. Did CDC just accidentally let slip they know vaping is about to eliminate smoking?

Thanks for posting, OP!