Newly released: Recommendations from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America. Time to Act: Investing in the Health of Our Children and Communities calls for action on early childhood, healthy communities, and bridging health and health care. Read the report and explore the charts, infographics, and videos at RWJF.org

Tobacco

Aggressive anti-smoking campaigns, tax increases on cigarettes, laws and policies to restrict smoking and advances in clinical and therapeutic treatments have helped to reduce smoking rates among U.S. adults to below 20 percent, the lowest level on record. Yet each year, cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 400,000 premature deaths.  Even non-smokers are subject to tobacco’s harmful effects, with secondhand smoke accounting for the early deaths of 35,000 children and non-smoking adults annually. To reduce tobacco’s drain on America’s health, the Commission recommends:

RECOMMENDATION: Become a smoke-free nation. Eliminating smoking remains one of the most important contributions to longer, healthier lives. Progress on many fronts—smoke-free workplaces, clean indoor air ordinances, tobacco tax increases, and effective, affordable quit assistance—demonstrates that this goal is achievable with broad public and private sector support.

Smoking Cessation at Wal-Mart
As part of the company’s Healthy Living initiative, Wal-Mart offered employees a smoking cessation prescription starter pack for $9. Read more

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