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AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Jul 28, 2005
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September 2005, Vol 95, No. 9 | American Journal of Public Health 1500-1505
© 2005 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.063073

COMMENTARY

The Dirty Dozen: 12 Myths That Undermine Tobacco Control

Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH and Drew E. Blakeman, MS

Thomas R. Frieden and Drew E. Blakeman are with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 125 Worth St, Rm 331, CN #28, New York, NY 10013 (email: tfrieden{at}health.nyc.gov).

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The health risks of smoking are well documented, as is the effectiveness of clinical and public health interventions to prevent and reduce smoking. However, many myths about smoking either encourage people to begin or continue smoking or deter them from quitting.

Some myths stem from a misapplied understanding of what might seem to be common sense; others are deliberately promulgated by the tobacco industry to induce people—especially children—to start smoking and to keep them smoking as adults. These myths undermine tobacco control. However, comprehensive tobacco control programs that include anti-smoking public education campaigns can effectively counter these myths and prevent illness and premature death.






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Copyright © 2005 by the American Public Health Association