Cessation of cigarillo use in Mississippi youth

Smoking cigars is the second leading form of tobacco use in youths. Health effects from early onset tobacco use accounts for an estimated 438,000 deaths, or approximately 1 out of every 5 deaths, each year in the United States. Cigars (also referred to as cigarillos) are associated with health problems similar to cigarettes, such as lung, oral, and esophageal cancers. The incidence rate of cigarillo use in youths has increased over the past several years, where recent statistics report that a large percentage of these reside in Mississippi. Importantly, cigarillos containing the largest amount of nicotine (an estimated 100 – 450 milligrams, in comparison with a cigarette which has 8 milligrams) are used by African-Americans (63.1%; followed by Hispanics (26.2%) and Whites (20.5%)) who are 12 years and older. 2,4 Since the risk of developing tobacco-related diseases increases when tobacco is consumed at an early age, more youth tobacco cessation programs are needed. Therefore, the Jackson State University Center of Excellence in Minority Health in Jackson, Mississippi, is launching such a program to prevent cigarillo tobacco use among youths. The objective of the study is to assess the demographics of cigarillo use and provide health education to prevent cigarillo smoking among middle school and high school students in Jackson, Mississippi. Data will be collected utilizing pre- and post- assessments to measure the effectiveness of health education intervention. The findings of this study will be used to assess future needs and to develop other tobacco cessation programs throughout Mississippi.