RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Randolph Air Force Base's active-duty tobacco usage rate is the lowest in Air Education and Training Command and fifth-lowest in the Air Force, according to statistics compiled by the Air Force Corporate Health Information Processing Service.
Randolph's tobacco usage rate dropped below 12 percent in March and stood at 11.3 percent as of Monday, compared with 23 percent Air Force-wide. The rates include smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco.
"We do very, very well at Randolph," said Lorri Tibbetts, 359th Aerospace-Medicine Squadron Health Promotion Flight chief. "In 2006, our rate was 15.7 percent, so we've come a long way."
The only entities with lower rates are the Pentagon, 7.4 percent; Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., 8.9 percent; Air Force Academy, Colo., 9.8 percent; and Los Angeles AFB, Calif., 10.9 percent.
Ms. Tibbetts, who also facilitates the Health and Wellness Center's tobacco cessation class, said dental clinics throughout the Air Force track tobacco usage by active-duty members.
"The Randolph dental clinic is very involved," she said. "They're proactive in working with the tobacco cessation program."
Ms. Tibbetts said the Air Force's overall tobacco usage is also declining. She attributed the decrease to "the availability of programs that help people stop smoking, people being more health-conscious and the cost of cigarettes." The price of a package of cigarettes often exceeds $5.
Statistics show higher tobacco usage among younger members throughout the Air Force. Smoking is highest in pay grades E1 to E3 at 40 percent, compared with pay grades E4 to E6 at 36 percent, O1 to O3 at 10 percent and O4 to O10 at 5 percent.
Although usage at Randolph has dropped below 12 percent, Ms. Tibbetts said there is "still more work to do.
"People who use tobacco will have more medical costs than non-smokers," she said.
Ms. Tibbetts said tobacco usage can not only lead to cancer, but to diseases such as emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD. Tobacco usage also elevates cholesterol and blood pressure levels and accelerates the aging process.
"When people use tobacco, they seem to have more respiratory problems," she said. "People who come to our tobacco cessation class say when they get a cold, it takes them longer to get over it."
Ms. Tibbetts said there are various reasons why people decide to quit smoking or using smokeless tobacco.
"The vast majority are just tired of it," she said. "You have to want to quit. You're tired of it and you don't want to do it anymore. But it has to be for you, not for someone else."
Ms. Tibbetts said the four-session tobacco cessation class at the HAWC, which is based partly on the American Cancer Society's Freshstart program, and the American Lung Association's Lung HelpLine at 1-877-695-7848 can give smokers the tools they need to kick the habit.
She said quitting yields nearly immediate benefits.
According to the American Cancer Society, smokers' risk of having a heart attack begins to go down 24 hours after their last cigarette. In a year, their risk of heart disease has been cut in half and in five years their risk of dying of lung cancer has been cut in half. Fifteen years after quitting, their risk of heart disease is as low as if they have never smoked.
For the most up-to-date information at the Randolph clinic, visit
https://kx.afms.mil/randolph or search for the 359th Medical Group on
Facebook.