A new study finds that young adults are not only using cigarettes but also concurrently (dual use) using more than one tobacco product, including little cigars and hookah. The study, published in the May issue of the Journal of Environmental and Public Health, comes from Legacy, a national public health organization dedicated to reducing tobacco use in the United States. The research looked at tobacco use patterns among young adults and included an examination of those using cigarettes plus another tobacco product concurrently.

According to the data, of the 23 percent of young adults who were current tobacco users, 30 percent reported dual use. “We found that dual users report the same levels of smoking compared to cigarette only users, suggesting that the use of other tobacco products does not replace cigarette smoking or decrease the mean number of cigarettes smoked daily among young adults. This trend toward dual use - especially among young people - is disconcerting,” said Jessica Rath, Director of Research and Evaluation for Legacy. “Tobacco companies are pushing new products that leave young adults faced with an array of tobacco products from which to choose. The fact that many are experimenting with these new products, while still smoking cigarettes, may have negative implications for public health,” she said.

The researchers used data from the online Legacy Young Adult Cohort Study to describe the prevalence of cigarettes, other tobacco products, and dual use in a nationally representative sample of young adults aged 18-34. The data show the majority of individuals who use noncigarette tobacco products (64 percent) are smoking cigarettes concurrently. According to the study, those who reported every day or someday use of cigarettes or other tobacco products also identified using the following tobacco products in the past 30 days:

• 87 percent had smoked cigarettes
• 19 percent currently smoke cigars
• 16 percent currently smoke little cigars/cigarillos/bidis

In addition, 8 percent reported hookah use in the past 30 days.

“This study highlights the need for improved monitoring of tobacco use across the life course. This way, Legacy and other organizations can develop tailored efforts for the young adult population in order to prevent progression and further reduce overall population prevalence,” Rath said.

Much of the focus of tobacco control research and prevention efforts have traditionally centered on teens, given that nearly 80 percent of smokers begin before the age 18. However, there are few data on the prevalence and smoking behavior of young adults in the 18-34 year age group. This study is the first in a series that presents baseline information on this population and is designed to track the patterns of tobacco use behavior in the under-studied age group. Researchers fund that 32 percent of young adults initiated smoking after age 18 and 39 percent of regular users became regular smokers during young adulthood. In addition, among young adults who currently use tobacco, three in ten are dual users.

“Earlier this year the Surgeon General reported that nearly all tobacco use begins during youth with addiction to nicotine starting right away, making young adults primary targets for tobacco marketing campaigns,” said Cheryl G. Healton. “Our research shows that young adults are indeed trying smoking and becoming regular smokers,” she added.

Legacy - best know for its truth youth smoking prevention campaign - is committed to reaching young people with the knowledge and facts about tobacco’s social and health consequences, so teens can then make informed decisions about smoking. While the campaign is primarily geared towards teens, research has found its hard-hitting messages also resonate with young adults. A December 2010 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that awareness of the truth campaign reached as high as 68 percent among young adults ages 18-24 years.

Description of Little Cigar Products: Little Cigars are almost identical in size and appearance to cigarettes. Unlike cigarettes, which are wrapped in white paper, little cigars are wrapped in paper that contains some tobacco leaf. Cigarillos are longer and slimmer and often rolled in tobacco leaf papers. Increased use of these products is of particular concern as users may believe that cigarillos and little cigars are less harmful than cigarettes.

Legacy helps people live longer health lives by building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Legacy’s proven-effective and nationally recognized public education programs include Truth, the national  smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth smoking; EX, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; and research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences, and approaches to reducing tobacco use. Located in Washington, D.C. the foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement reached between attorney generals from 46 states, five U.S territories , and the tobacco industry. To learn more about Legacy’s life-saving programs, visit LegacyForHealth.

The tobacco industry is funding ads opposing California’s proposed tax on cigarettes to raise money for cancer research.

Proposition 29 would add $1 er pack of cigarettes, the Los Angeles Times reports. California will vote on the measure June 5. The tobacco industry ads note the tax would raise money for research, but not for treatment.

Proponents of the tax say it is expected to raise more than $800 million for research on tobacco-related diseases and prevention programs. They estimate the tax raise will prevent 220,000 young people from starting to smoke, and encourage 100,000 smokers to quit.

So far, Philip Morris USA & RJ Reynolds Tobacco, two of the nation’s biggest tobacco companies, and their affiliates, have spent more than $30 million against the proposal. in addition to criticizing it for not including funds for treatments, they have attacked the initiative for allowing the proceeds of the tax to be used out of state.

Supporters of the measure have raised $4 million. One backer of the proposal is seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, whose Livestrong Foundation contributed $1.5 million to the campaign. Other supporters include the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.

The proposal calls for 60 percent of the money raised to be used to support research on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, an potential cures for tobacco-related diseases. An additional 15 percent would be used to build or lease facilities, or to be spent on equipment, while 20 percent would be used for tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The remaining 5 percent would be used for law enforcement programs to reduce illegal sales to minors and smuggling as well as administrative costs.

One September evening in 2009, a couple riding their motorcycle was sideswiped by a Chevy pick-up truck that crossed the center line. The cause of the accident - the 19-year-old driver of the pick-up truck was responding to a text message. Both cyclists lost their left leg. The driver of the truck plead guilty to three New Jersey law violations in regard to the accident - using a cell phone while driving, leaving his lane, and careless driving.

The couple has filed a personal injury lawsuit not only against the driver of the pick-up truck, but also against the woman he was texting with at the time of the accident. The suit claims that the woman should be held liable because she was aware that the man was driving and by texting him, she was being a distraction, therefore just as guilty as the driver. In a deposition, the woman first stated that she didn’t know the man was driving at the time the two were exchanging text messages, but later admitted that she may have known and also said “that is what teenagers do”.

The woman’s attorney has filed a motion to dismiss contending that she had no way of controlling when the man would read the text, that she had the right to assume he would read it when it was safe to do so, and the woman should not be held responsible is he chooses to read it while driving.

This is the first personal injury lawsuit due to distracted driving where someone not in the vehicle is being accused of negligence. Currently there are no court rulings anywhere in the U.S. that says a text-sender is liable if the receiver causes injury while reading the message. A Superior Court judge will rule on May 25 whether the woman can be included in the lawsuit. If this suit is successful, it could set a precedent where someone can be held liable for texting, even engaging in a phone conversation, with someone driving who gets in an accident.

Federal Tobacco Tax Increase Cut Number of Youth Smokers By 220,000

The large federal tobacco tax increase implemented on April 1, 2009 reduced the number of youth smokers by at least 220,000 and the number of youth smokeless tobacco users by at least 135,000 in the first two months alone, according to a new study released today by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The researchers emphasized that the study measure only the immediate impact of the tax increase through May 2009, and the number of youth prevented from smoking and using smokeless tobacco would be much larger over time.

The study “showed that a large national tax increase can influence youth tobacco use within a very short time period,” the researchers wrote. “Adolescents not only respond to tax policy changes, but the speed of their response is fast. The prevalence of smoking and use of smokeless tobacco dropped immediately after the tax increase in this study, and statistically significant and meaningful changes could be measured and detected withing 30 days of the tax increase.”

(The study was published online by the National Bureau of Economic Research and can be found here.)

The new study comes as the tobacco industry, led by Philip Morris USA & R.J. Reynolds, is spending nearly $40 million to oppose a ballot initiative in California (Proposition 29) to increase the state’s cigarette tax by $1 per pack. The initiative would reduce smoking and fund research on cancer and other tobacco-related diseases, as well as tobacco prevention programs.

“This study shows exactly why the tobacco industry is spending so money to oppose California’s Prop 29: They know higher tobacco taxes are very effective at reducing smoking, especially among kids,” said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “Because the truth us against them, the tobacco companies are spending huge sums on ads to deceive and confuse voters. Californians should ignore their lies and vote yes on Prop 29.”

Study Findings:

A 2009 law approved by Congress, the Children’s Health Insurance Program Re-authorization Act increased the federal tax rate on cigarettes by 61.66 cents per pack (from 39 cents to $1.0066) and on moist snuff, the most common form of smokeless tobacco, by 92.5 cents per pound (from 58.5 cents to $1.51). Taxes were also increase on other forms of smokeless tobacco.

The study investigated the changes in youth smoking and smokeless tobacco use rates following the April 2009 federal tax increases, using data from the Monitoring the Future survey, an annual national survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students. Because the survey is conducted from February through May each year, it coincided with the April 1 tobacco increase and provided and effective means to measure the immediate impact.

The study found that the tobacco tax increase had a substantial and immediate impact.

The percentage of students who reported smoking in the past 30 days dropped between 9.7% and 13.3% immediately following the tax increase, while the percentage who reported using smokeless tobacco dropped between 16% and 24%.

Because of the tax increase, there were between 220,000 and 287,000 fewer current smokers and between 135,000 and 203,000 fewer smokeless tobacco users among middle and high school students in May 2009, the study estimated.

The study controlled other factors that influence youth tobacco use, including individual, family, and school characteristics as well as state tobacco control measures, including state cigarette taxes, smoke-free air policies and tobacco control funding.

The study also found that, even as youth tobacco use declined, federal tobacco tax revenues increase by 147 percent in the 12 months following the increase - from $7.1 billion in the 12 months before to $17.5 billion in the 12 months after.

The study “demonstrated that a well-designed, across-the-board tobacco tax policy can deliver both economic and health benefits, and has implications for policymakers at all levels when considering effective tobacco control policies to reduce tobacco use among youth,” the researchers wrote.

Support for the study was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Cancer Institute.

When you or someone you love is faced with the decision to reside in a nursing home, it can be very scary. You should do as much research as you can on the facility and interview the residents themselves if allowed. One of the most important pieces of information that needs to be know is the patient’s rights while in the home.

There are federal and state laws in place to help protect the patient. It is imperative that you familiarize yourself with these laws and rights so you can be aware of them in the event you feel you are being violated.

Residents of nursing homes should be treated with quality care; there is no reason for disrespect, abuse, or negligence. The official U.S. Government site for Medicare lists some of the patients’ rights which are, but not limited to:

• Individuals have the right to be treated with respect, free from mental or physical abuse; they should be addressed by their name, have freedom from restraints (unless deemed medically necessary), be fed, cleaned and clothed.
• The patient has the right to receive information about the facility’s services and the fees in written form prior to entering the home.
• Residents have the right to handle their own money and financial affairs; they may appoint someone else like a power of attorney to handle their business.
• Patients have the right to privacy and are allowed to keep their personal belongings as long as it does not interfere or impose on another’s rights.
• Individuals have the right to seek medical care by their physician of choice, have access to their medical records, and refuse treatments and/or medications.

Patients that reside in a nursing home have every right to be treated in the most humane way and with kindness. Recognizing nursing home abuse and neglect as quickly as possible is key. Being observant and knowing how to distinguish if something is wrong helps the patient get the best possible care. They should have the ability to make independent choices, have unrestricted and private conversations, be treated with dignity, have the option of placing a complaint if they choose, or have a concern addressed in a timely fashion.

Just because someone is a resident in a nursing home doesn’t mean they are stripped of everything; patients have rights.

Choosing a Nursing Home

As the old adage goes, “Knowledge is power”. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services collects date on more than 15,000 nursing homes around the country each year. The information is then compiled on Medicare.gov where you can search an compare overall rankings. However, keep in mind that government rankings are limited and reflect a short period of performance.

If you or a loved one have been a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact our attorneys at Domnick & Shevin.

Warning labels and instructions on products are important, especially ones that concern infants. Be careful and be sure to read all labels. If your or a loved one has been a victim of a product liability injury, make a call for justice and contact our attorneys at Domnick & Shevin today.

A BABY-PRODUCTS COMPANY EVOLVES, THROUGH GOOD TIMES AND BAD

The family of a paralyzed North Bergen woman who suffered abuse at the hands of at least one nursing home employee has released a video of the alleged abuse, My9 News reported.

The family of Modesta Alvarado, who died at the Harborage nursing home home on River Road in North Bergen on January 6, 2011, says that their video shows that more employees were involved in the abuse, although only one person has been charged, the report said.

In an interview, Evan Rodriguez, Alvarado’s grandson, said one of the workers tells Alvarado “Lady, why don’t you die” in a secret video recording. The family had installed the “granny-cam” when they became suspicious of the Harborage staff after they found numerous bruises on Alvarado.

Harborage employee, Julia Galvan, was charged with assault, abandonment, and neglect of the elderly. Officials at Palisades Medical Center, which operates Harborage, said that Galvan was fired after her arrest.

Rodriguez and his mother, Gloria Diaz, who have file a lawsuit, say that their video also shows other staff member abusing or treating Alvarado roughly.

If you or a loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse, make a call for justice and contact the attorneys at Domnick & Shevin today.

Leading public health organizations are calling on Family Dollar Stores to reverse its recent decision to start selling cigarettes and other tobacco products. 

The campaign for Tobacco-Free kids and Break Free Alliance, which works to reduce tobacco use among low-income Americans, have written to Family Dollar urging that the company immediately reverse this decision to protect its customers’ health and stay true to its name as a business that values families. Other organizations calling on Family Dollar to reverse its decision include the American Academy of Pediatrics, Legacy, the National Latino Tobacco Control Network, and the inter-tribal Council of Michigan.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 Americans and costing the nation $96 billion in health care bills each year. Nearly 90% of all smoker start as children. Family Dollar’s decision to sell tobacco products for the first in its history will ad to tobacco’s devastating toll and hurt families - in particular, the millions of lower-income families that are Family Dollar’s core customers. 

Family Dollar executives told Wall Street analysts last month that the chain of 7,100 discount stores would begin selling tobacco products int he next several months.

“Given the devastating toll of tobacco use on America’s children and families, we believe your decision is an enormous step in the wrong direction,” the health groups wrote in a letter to Family Dollar Chairman and CEO Howard Levine.

“Selling tobacco to your customers will make it easier for them to become addicted or sustain an existing addiction and suffer the dire economic and health consequences of tobacco use. The fact that your customer base is comprised of low-income families makes your decision even more troubling. Low-income people smoke more, suffer more, spend more, and die more from tobacco use…Sales of tobacco products at Family Dollar stores will only worsen these terrible burdens and health disparities.”

Smoking in the United States increasingly has become concentrated among lower-income populations. The smoking rate among low-income adults is 26.9%, compared with 19.3% for all adults, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because of their higher smoking rates, lower-income populations suffer disproportionately from smoking-caused disease and also are more likely to suffer the harmful consequences of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Lower-income smokers spend a greater share of their incomes on tobacco than do other smokers, and often have limited access to health care. They may be more likely to be diagnosed with illnesses caused by tobacco use at a later stage, after their conditions have worsened and they are in greater need of care and services. State medicaid programs alone spend more than $30 billion a year on treating smoking-related illnesses among low-income beneficiaries. 

Family Dollar’s decision runs counter to a trend among pharmacies, grocers and retailers to pull tobacco products from their shelves. Big chains such as Target and Wegmans have stopped selling tobacco, and Dollar Tree stores are also tobacco-free.

The company’s decision is also at odds with health care initiatives long supported by the Leon Levine Foundation, founded by Family Dollar’s founder and former CEO Leon Levine. Though the foundation is wholly seperate from Family Dollar Stores Inc., it is hard to ignore the contradiction between selling tobacco - and thus promoting the use of an addictive and deadly product - while simultaneously supporting health programs and institutions.

Greensboro police are investigating a case of alleged elder abuse at Maple Grove Health and Rehabilitation Center on Meadowview Road. 

The rehab center called police and the patient’s daughter on Friday after they realized Elizabeth Kennedy, 86, had injuries to her head. 

“They told me that my mom had taken a blow to the head,” said Louise Jones, the patient’s daughter. 

Jones said she trusted the staff at Maple Grove to provide constant care for her mom, who suffers from dementia. “She’s 86 and defenseless and I wasn’t there to protect her,” Jones said.

Jones said she believes one of the aides punched her mother in the head and showed FOX8 the pictures of the bruise.

“It was all kinds of emotions when I saw her- hurt, anger, revenge,” Jones said. “She’s like my child. She can’t get up. She can’t walk. This is the coldest of anybody. They’ve got to be of the devil. They have to be.”

FOX8 reached out to the Rehab Center for comment, but no one returned calls y Monday night.

“They’re doing everything to get to the bottom of it. They called someone in from corporate office. She’s here,” Jones said.

Jones said she is concerned for everybody who is in the care of Maple Grove, and she wants justice.

“If they have any godly thing in them, maybe the can come forth on their own, and maybe it can make it a little bit easier. But I don’t think it will ever justify for how I feel, what it’s put me through, and what my mother has endured,” she said.

Jones said Maple Grove has offered to place her mom in another facility, but Jones said her mother’s doctor can only come to this home.

Jones lives in Cherokee, about four hours away, and has been with her mom since Friday. 

Odwalla has issued a nationwide recall of its Chocolate Protein Monster beverages after receiving several reports of severe allergic reactions to the drink. The bottles of the drink to be pulled have expiration dates before and including May 23, and were distributed for the past seven weeks to retail food stores and on-premises foodservice establishments.

Odwalla, a unit of the Coca Cola company, said the recall was initiated after four consumers complained they suffered from allergic reactions after drinking the product. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that those who did have reactions were allergic to peanuts or nut products. According to Odwalla, the facility where the drink is produced doesn’t make any products that contain peanuts. The juice company also clams that the drink itself contains no peanut or tree nut ingredients. However, those who complained of reactions claim they have no allergy to soy or milk two of the ingredients in the beverage.

Meanwhile, the FDA is warning anybody with an allergy to peanuts that they may be risking serious, life-threatening allergic reactions if they drink this product.

If you or someone you know has had an issue with product liability in the past, contact the attorneys at Domnick & Shevin.

After years of heated debate over the use of tobacco on campus, UT announced Wednesday it will prohibit the use of tobacco products on all University property, effective this month.

When you trust your loved one to a care facility, you expect that they will be treated with respect and dignity, and proper care will be taken of them at all times. Many of the employees at nursing homes are experienced medical practitioners who have been trained to deal with the unique needs of the elderly. Others have received little or no training at all and may even be at the nursing home on a volunteer basis.

Nursing home abuse and neglect of any sort is deplorable. However, when your loved one suffers abuse and neglect from improperly trained workers or volunteers, you may wonder if you have any cause for recourse. You do, and an experienced nursing home abuse and neglect attorney will be able to investigate your claim, hold the responsible parties accountable, and seek justice for you and your family.

Signs of abuse or neglect:

• broken bones
• bruises or cuts
• bleeding around the genitals
• improper medication
• malnutrition and dehydration
• over or under medication
• bed sores
• unsanitary conditions

According to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), nearly three million people currently reside in nursing homes. The NCEA estimates that over half of them have suffered some form of abuse at the hands of both paid and volunteer staff. if you notice any of these signs of nursing home abuse, contacting a lawyer immediately can help protect your loved one and see that proper compensation is granted.

The attorneys at Domnick & Shevin are experienced in the area of nursing home abuse cases. If you or a loved one have been a victim of abuse or neglect make a call for justice today.

Non-toxic nail polishes are actually toxic.

This disturbing conclusion comes from the California Department of Toxic Substance Control, which tested 12 nial products that claim to be free of formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate. These chemicals, known as the “toxic three”, have been linked to an increased rate of cancer and birth defects. 

At least 10 of the product contained toluene, while 5 contained a significant amount of at least one of the chemicals.

This discovery is a big deal in California, where there are 48,000 salons and 120,000 licensed nail technicians. These women work long hours and breathe in harmful chemicals, explains Los Angeles Times. They often suffer from respiratory issues and skin conditions.

Many salon owner, such as the one interviewed by the Times, try to use non-toxic nail polishes and products to ensure worker safety. Now it seems their efforts were for nothing.

California requires labels to list all toxic chemicals, which means these nail polish companies are breaking the law. It’s unclear what the state will do, but the Times suggests that regulators could ramp up oversight, look for safer alternatives and renew efforts to ensure that salons are properly ventilated.

Or the salon owners and nail technicians that use the products can just file a lawsuit.

At the very least, improperly labeling toxic nail polish as non-toxic violates the state’s consumer protection laws. At the very worst, the failure to properly label the products could have contributed t worker illness, paving the way for a personal injury suit.

Whatever happens, these companies will likely no longer be able to label their toxic nail polished as non-toxic. 

Products that are used often, such as nail polish, can be toxic. Be sure to read warning labels.

Drinking and driving kills, be safe on South Florida roadways. Drugs and alcohol can cause fatal car accidents.