Resources

Prevention Resources

Resources in this section are intended to assist with the prevent initiation of tobacco use among youth and young adults.

  • A flavored tobacco product is any tobacco product that contains an artificial or natural flavor additive. The flavor is added to mask the harsh, bitter flavor of the tobacco. Flavored tobacco products include e-cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, menthol cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and hookah. Currently, there are over 15,000 flavors for e-cigarette juice alone. These include many fruit, candy and dessert flavors. Learn more at truinpa.org.
  • Flavored Tobacco Product Infographic (Version 1 and Version 2) 
  • Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are tobacco products that have been sold in the U.S. for about a decade. They include e-pens, e-pipes, e-hookah, and e-cigars, known collectively as ENDS—Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems. They’re also sometimes called JUULs, “vapes” and “vape pens.” E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco products among kids — and what the U.S. Surgeon General declared an epidemic. While much remains to be determined about the lasting health consequences of e-cigarettes or ‘vaping,’ there’s evolving evidence about the health risks of vaping on the lungs—including irreversible lung damage and lung disease.
  • Intervention for Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco and Health (INDEPTH) is a new, convenient alternative to suspension or citation that helps schools and communities address the teen vaping problem in a more supportive way. Instead of solely focusing on punitive measures, INDEPTH is an interactive program that teaches students about nicotine dependence, establishing healthy alternatives and how to kick the unhealthy addiction that got them in trouble in the first place.
  • Developed by the American Lung Association in partnership with the Prevention Research Center of West Virginia University, this new free education program is available for any school or community to establish to help our teens make healthier choices.
  • INDEPTH is taught by any trained adult in four, 50-minutes sessions. Each session addresses a different tobacco-related issue and can be facilitated either one-on-one or in a group setting. The goal of every program is to educate students about nicotine addiction and cravings and ultimately guide them through the process of identifying their own reasons for chewing, smoking or vaping tobacco products.
  • INDEPTH: An Alternative to Suspension or Citation
  • Help the next generation be tobacco-free! By working with schools you can help ensure that students, faculty and visitors are protected from secondhand smoke. Studies have shown that tobacco-free spaces are proven ways to encourage our kids to never start smoking. Here are tips to help your school become smoke-free indoors and throughout campus.
  • School Program Options English and Spanish Flyer
  • Create Tobacco-Free Schools
  • The Tobacco Resistance Unit is a movement throughout all of Pennsylvania to help youth, ages 12 to 18, stay tobacco-free. It’s time that young Pennsylvanians get serious about exposing BIG TOBACCO and its marketing lies.  TRU aims to prevent and stop youth tobacco use through education. TRU is funded by a grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Health. A statewide movement, TRU is managed by the Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco (PACT) and the American Lung Association in Pennsylvania.

Cessation

Resources in this section are intended to assist with the promotion of quitting tobacco among youth and adults.

  • The American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking® program is for tobacco users who are ready to quit. Because most people already know that smoking is bad for their health, the program focuses almost exclusively on how to quit, not why to quit. 
  • Since it was first introduced over 35 years ago, the American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking® program has helped hundreds of thousands of Americans end their addiction to nicotine and begin new smokefree lives. Freedom From Smoking® is based on proven addiction and behavior change models. The program offers a structured, systematic approach to quitting, and its positive messaging emphasizes the benefits of better health.
  • About Freedom From Smoking®
  • Freedom From Smoking facilitators can discover helpful tools on the NEW! Facilitator Resource page


Freedom From Smoking (FFS) Templates and Flyers:

  • Tragically, about 95% of today’s tobacco users started using before the age of 21. E-cigarettes have escalated this problem. Every day 8,000 kids start vaping, according to the Center for Disease Control. Not On Tobacco® (N-O-T) seeks to address this growing problem by giving all teens the resources they need to break nicotine dependency and find healthier outlets.
  • Unlike other cessation programs which simply modify adult curriculum, N-O-T was designed with teenagers in mind and addresses issues that are specifically important to them. The program takes a holistic approach with each session using different interactive learning strategies based on Social Cognitive Theory of behavior change that can then be applied and practiced in everyday life and encourages a voluntary change for youth ages 14 to 19.
  • N-O-T: Not On Tobacco—Proven Teen Smoking and Vaping Cessation Program.
  • Are you ready to quit?
  • The Northwest Pennsylvania Tobacco Control Program (NWPA TCP) has partnered with PA Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) to develop Integrating Nicotine Dependence Treatment with Oral Health: For Dental Professionals. This two part course is free of charge and has 2.0 CEUs available. For Medicaid providers, successful completion of this two-part course will allow you to submit an application to DHS to be authorized to bill for tobacco counseling. Visit PCOH Website to view the recorded webinar.
  • Two-part course, Promotional Flyer
  • Two-part course, Promotional Postcard
  • Pharmacotherapy Quick Guide is a very helpful tool for Tobacco/Nicotine Treatment 
  • The Pennsylvania Free Quitline offers up to five proactive coaching sessions, unlimited inbound calls, and customized quit plans to each participant.  Coaches are available seven days a week and telephone calls can be scheduled for when it is most convenient for the caller. 
  • Eligible PA Free Quitline callers enrolled in phone counseling will now be offered a total of eight weeks of combination nicotine replacement therapy instead of the previous offering of four weeks. 
  • Contacting the Quitline 
    • The Quitline is available 24/7 by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)
      Most Quitlines can arrange for a translator if you or someone you know who wants to quit speaks a different language. Additionally, there are Quitlines available for people who speak Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese
  • PA Tobacco Cessation – All Adult Cessation Programs Flyer
  • Quitline Free – Available Materials
  • Quitline Free – Order Form for materials
  • When you are pregnant, you want the best for your baby. When you stop smoking, your baby will get more oxygen, even after just one day of not smoking. There is less risk your baby will be born too early. The PA Free Quitline offers FREE incentives for pregnant and postpartum women looking to quit tobacco. The PA Pregnancy Protocol outlines how to get enrolled in the program today! The Pregnancy Packet in English and Spanish includes materials to promote the PA Free Quitline Pregnancy Incentive Program. Please email Julie.Bartol@Lung.org to order pregnancy packets to use in your community.
  • For a long time, tobacco was a part of military culture. Before 1957, tobacco products were included in basic field rations and the tobacco industry deployed marketing tactics to entice military members, including capitalizing on young adults and finding opportunities to reach males in service. The Veterans Tobacco-Free Toolkit includes educational materials to assist organizations working with veterans, providing them resources that will help them quit tobacco.

Secondhand Smoke Exposure

Resources in this section are intended to assist with the elimination exposure to secondhand smoke and e-cigarette aerosol.

  • Secondhand smoke exposure poses serious health threats to children and adults. For residents of multi-unit housing (e.g., apartment buildings and condominiums), secondhand smoke can be a major concern. It can migrate from other units and common areas and travel through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, plumbing, and ventilation systems.
  • Public and private multi-unit housing properties across the country have moved to solve this problem by making their housing, including individual units, smoke-free. This move not only protects residents and staff from exposure to secondhand smoke, but also saves properties money on costs to turnover units and significantly reduces fire risk for buildings.
  • Letter to Private Houser – Sample Letter
  • Implementing a Smoke-Free Housing Policy – Dollars and Sense Flyer
  • Freedom From Smoking – Multi-Unit Housing Template
  • PA Housing Rack Card
  • MUH Tobacco Cessation Door Hanger. Please email Julie.Bartol@Lung.org to order either the Smokefree or Tobacco-Free door hangers to display at facilities in your region.
  • Smoke- and tobacco-free colleges and universities are gaining popularity across the U.S. In fact, according to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation (ANRF), there were at least 2,375 100% smoke-free campus sites as of July 1, 2019, and of those 2,375, over 2,000 were also 100% tobacco-free (includes smokeless and noncombustible forms of tobacco) while 1,986 also prohibit e-cigarette use everywhere.

  • With the increase in college and university campuses going smoke- and tobacco-free, there has been a decline in the number of youth and young adults who smoke. In 2016, past 30-day cigarette use declined from 16% among college students in 2010, to 9% in 2016. Tobacco-free policies also help educate about the dangers of tobacco products among college students and work to raise awareness, get students involved, and decrease the number of young adults who get addicted. Lastly, cigarette butts are the most littered item on earth, with 4.5 trillion cigarettes butts being littered each year. Tobacco-free policies help to save the environment by not only reducing secondhand smoke, but by keeping the campus clean and free of littered tobacco products.

  • In partnership with the Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco (PACT) and Tobacco Resistance Unit (TRU), the Regional Pennsylvania Tobacco-Free Coalitions have collaborated to establish a Tobacco 21 Awareness Campaign for college and university campuses in Pennsylvania, since the age increase more significantly impacted those aged 18 – 21.

  • The overall goal of this campaign is to educate the 18-21 age range population about the new Tobacco 21 Federal Law, working with college campuses and directing them to PACT and the American Lung Association for more information and assistance with quitting tobacco products, if needed.  In addition to educational awareness and cessation services, this campaign also aspires to assist college campuses either enact or strengthen comprehensive tobacco-free campus policies to protect students’ and staff’s lungs from the dangers of secondhand smoke. This campaign includes numerous resources for college campuses including, but not limited to the following:

    • The College Cessation Flyer includes all of the available programs that assist young adults with quitting.

 
    • Freedom From Smoking Plus, College Toolkit has marketing materials, program recruitment resources and social media posts for campuses to use to help their students. Freedom From Smoking Plus® offers online help with quitting tobacco products. Contact Julie.Bartol@lung.org for your toolkit.

ALA Components of Cigarette Flyer

Amish Community Tobacco Control Program

EHR Integration Flyer 

Hookah English and Spanish Flyer

Mental Health Tobacco English and Spanish Flyer

Secondhand E-cigarette Flyer

Secondhand Smoke English and Spanish Flyer

Smokeless Tobacco English and Spanish Flyer

Smoking Costs Flyer 

Substance Abuse, Tobacco Use English and Spanish Flyer

Third-Hand Smoke English and Spanish Flyer

  • Secondhand smoke and tobacco use at worksites may increase employees’ health risks, reduce employees’ quality of life and increase healthcare costs substantially.
  • Tobacco free worksite policies not only protect workers from the health dangers of secondhand smoke, but result in a more efficient work environment.
  • The Worksite Tobacco-Free Toolkit and Worksite Tobacco-Free Grounds Toolkit include educational materials and resources to assist worksites with the transition into a healthier environment for employees, clients and visitors.
  • Worksite Tobacco-Free Return on Investment, English and Spanish
  • Window Clings: Tobacco-Free, Vaping-Free Sample
    Please email Julie.Bartol@Lung.org to order tobacco-free window clings to display at facilities in your region.
  • Young Lungs at Play (YLAP) is a program aimed to help communities create tobacco-free parks, playgrounds and recreational areas for children. Many Pennsylvania communities have adopted outdoor tobacco-free policies at parks, zoos, athletic fields, playgrounds, trails and even city sidewalks and streets to help protect both children and the environment.   
  • YLAP Thank You Cards – Reach out to Julie.Bartol@Lung.org to order thank you cards to send to municipalities that you have worked with regarding policy updates.
  • YLAP Toolkit – Reach out to Julie.Bartol@Lung.org to send you a toolkit.

Advocacy

Resources in this section are intended to assist with tobacco control advocacy and public policy.

  • The Pennsylvania Alliance to Control Tobacco (PACT), under the American Lung Association in Pennsylvania, is a statewide coalition that educates the public and elected officials about clean indoor air, tobacco taxes, and other critical tobacco control issues. PACT is primarily funded by a grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Members of PACT include tobacco control advocates, healthcare professionals, government agencies, community leaders, business owners, and the general public
  • www.pactonline.org  
  • Find your Legislator HERE
  • Did you speak with your legislator on important tobacco control issues in PA? Be sure to report it HERE.

Special Initiatives

Resources in this section are intended to assist with the identification and elimination of tobacco related health disparities.

  • The American Lung Association in Pennsylvania offers free, on-site and web-based Ask, Advise, Refer trainings to educate staff to ask about tobacco use, advise patients on quitting and refer patients to tobacco cessation services. This evidence-based and efficient intervention should only take 3-5 minutes. It is effective, because patients are twice as likely to try quitting with advice from a clinician. No other single intervention will make a bigger difference in saving lives and avoiding the chronic diseases associated with tobacco product use.

Asthma is a chronic (or lifelong) disease that can be serious—even life-threatening. There is no cure for asthma. The good news is that with proper management, you or your loved one with asthma can live a normal, healthy life. The more you can learn about asthma, the better you and your loved ones can manage living with this disease, making the most of every day and maintaining a high quality of life. Visit Lung.org/asthma to find more resources related to asthma.

The American Lung Association offers various asthma education resources on lung.org, including the following:

  • The Center for Disease Control-led National Diabetes Prevention Program is an evidence-based lifestyle change program for preventing Type 2 diabetes.
  • The year-long program helps participants make real lifestyle changes such as eating healthier, including physical activity into their daily lives, and improving problem-solving and coping skills.
  • Participants meet with a trained lifestyle coach and a small group of people who are making lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes. Sessions are weekly for six months and then monthly for six months.
  • This proven program can help people with prediabetes and/ or at risk for Type 2 diabetes make achievable and realistic lifestyle changes and cut their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58%.
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. The disease affects millions of Americans and is the third leading cause of disease-related death in the U.S. The good news is COPD is often preventable and treatable. Visit Lung.org/COPD for more resources and tools to help you understand COPD, manage treatment and lifestyle changes, find support and take action.
  • Join a Better Breathers Club today, to connect with others living with lung disease, as well as education and support.
  • Health systems can integrate an eligibility assessment for lung cancer screening and
    tobacco cessation programming into Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to increase identification and referral of “high risk”
    patients for diagnostic or preventive services. 
  • Anyone can get lung cancer. Lung cancer happens when cells in the lung mutate or change. Various factors can cause this mutation (a permanent change in the DNA sequence of a gene) to happen. Most often, this change in lung cells happens when people breathe in dangerous, toxic substances. Even if you were exposed to these substances many years ago, you are still at risk for lung cancer. Visit Lung.org/lungcancer for more information.
  • To learn more about the causes and risks factors of lung cancer, such as smoking, radon, hazardous chemicals and more, visit the Lung Association’s website.
  • Data show that screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) reduces the risk of dying from lung cancer in the high-risk population studied. Other screening tests such as chest X-rays and sputum cytology have not been found to be effective and are not recommended for screening. To learn more about the American Lung Association’s Lung Cancer Screening Resources and see if you are eligible for a screening, visit our website at Lung.org/savedbythescan.
  • Join the Pennsylvania Cancer Coalition! The Pennsylvania Cancer Coalition (PCC) is a statewide cancer coalition working to implement evidence-based approaches to control cancer and strengthen partnerships by exchanging information and identifying and utilizing resources.
  • You can’t see or smell radon, and it can build up inside homes, buildings and schools to dangerous levels. Exposure to high levels of radon can cause lung cancer. Learn about radon, how it affects lung health and what you can do about it by visiting Lung.org/radon.
  • The American Lung Association’s Radon Basics course is a free one-hour interactive online learning program designed to help people understand more about radon, a radioactive cancer-causing gas commonly found indoors at dangerous levels. This course is designed to be appropriate for anyone who wants to learn more about radon and about how to test for it and fix problems, including home buyers, real estate professionals and home inspectors concerned about safe and healthy housing.
  • Rural communities face many risk factors that contribute to health disparities, including geographic isolation, lower socio-economic status, and more, which lead to a higher prevalence of tobacco use. There are many challenges to successfully delivering cessation programing to rural communities that generally have limited resources. In response to these challenges, Lung Association developed a Rural Health Plan in 2017 to provide cessation services to the rural communities where traditional methods have experienced limited success. This plan prioritized using a targeted social media campaign as the primary form of outreach to promote services. These services include no-cost nicotine replacement therapy, free statewide tobacco cessation telephonic quitline, and in-person cessation programs.
  • Every year in the United States, more than 480,000 people die from tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, making smoking the leading cause of preventable death in this country. The American Lung Association in Pennsylvania has free tobacco cessation resources for your community – specifically for pregnant women and mothers. Smoking increases the risk of birth defects, premature labor and even Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. So, as you know, supporting women of child-bearing age and pregnant women with quitting tobacco is so important.
  • When you are pregnant, you want the best for your baby. When you stop smoking, your baby will get more oxygen, even after just one day of not smoking. There is less risk your baby will be born too early. The PA Free Quitline offers FREE incentives for pregnant and postpartum women looking to quit tobacco. The PA Pregnancy Protocol outlines how to get enrolled in the program today! The Pregnancy Packet in English and Spanish includes materials to promote the PA Free Quitline Pregnancy Incentive Program. Please email Julie.Bartol@Lung.org to order pregnancy packets to use in your community.

Additional Resources

  • Visit the American Lung Association’s website
  • Learn more about the CDC

Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
Health Needs 2020 Assessment Reports – Regional Profiles 

  • Learn more about Live Healthy PA, encompassing tobacco data and resources from Pennsylvania’s DOH

Read the announcement concerning a new, national anti-vaping curriculum providing youth with facts about e-cigarettes and resources to quit, called Vaping: Know the Truth. 

Vaping: Know the Truth will help guide teachers and empower teens who vape to quit, or to never start in the first place. The curriculum will be available to schools across the country. 

  • Vaping: Know the Truth Flyer
    Describes vaping prevention and resources to quit.
  • This is Quitting Flyer
    A free, anonymous, text message, quit vaping program from truth®. Partnership opportunities to customize This is Quitting with your tobacco-control programs are available.

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