Tobacco programs save Hawaii $1 billion

HONOLULU — Twenty years of tobacco prevention and control policies and programs has paid off — to the tune of an estimated savings of $1 billion in health care costs to Hawaii.

“One billion dollars in cost savings is an impressive figure, but we cannot afford to lose sight of the lives that have yet to be saved,” said Health Director Dr. Virginia Pressler. “There is no time to waste when it comes to protecting our children and youth. We must do more. Without intervention, it is estimated that 54,000 of Hawaii’s children today will become smokers by early adulthood.”

The Hawaii Department of Health day shared the results of an analysis, conducted by DOH, that showed $6.34 in direct health care costs was saved for every dollar spent on tobacco prevention.

By reducing the number of youth, adult, and pregnant smokers over the past two decades, Hawaii saved $1 billion from 2000 to 2017, a press release said. These latest findings are highlighted in department’s new publication, “Hawaii’s Tobacco Landscape: The Faces Behind the Figures.”

Hawai‘i ranks third lowest in the nation for smoking prevalence among average adults at 13.1 percent.

Native Hawaiians, people with lower socio-economic status, people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), and people with behavioral health conditions continue to smoke at much higher rates, according to the press release.

“While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates it takes smokers 12 to 14 attempts to quit smoking, a recent long-term study found it took smokers 30 or more attempts. This is an important message to healthcare providers to keep talking to their patients,” said Dr. Elizabeth Tam, pulmonologist and chair of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Advisory Board.

Additionally, the publication shines a spotlight on the need to address the rapid rise of electronic smoking among youth. More than one-third of youth in a national survey (National Youth Tobacco Survey 2016) did not think e-cigarettes are harmful, and those who didn’t were more likely to use e-cigarettes. In Hawaii, 25.5 percent of high school and 15.7 percent of middle school students use e-cigarettes, exposing them to dangerous chemicals such as nicotine and potential cancer-causing metals and solvents (Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2017).