Merced continues to fail in tobacco control, report shows

Once again, Merced County received an F in the latest American Lung Association’s report for tobacco control.

The report evaluates the county’s availability of smoke-free housing, its access to smoke-free outdoor air and its progress in reducing sales of tobacco products, among other factors.

This year’s report took a look at Atwater, Dos Palos, Gustine, Merced, Los Banos and the county’s unincorporated areas.

The results showed no improvements from last year’s report.

The 14th annual report highlights the fact that 1 in 4 youths in the U.S. still use tobacco products. Overall, the American Lung Association urges elected officials to take action in addressing the tobacco “epidemic” and improving protection from secondhand smoke.

The state of California received an F in tobacco prevention and cessation funding, as well as an F for its efforts to increase tobacco taxes and to increase access to cessation services. The report found that California spends only about 20 percent of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends spending on tobacco control programs.

The state’s only passing grade was for increasing smoking restrictions in public places, for which it received a B grade.

Merced cities were part of 307 municipalities, about 39 percent of the state’s population, that received an F for overall tobacco control.

In Merced County, the only slight improvement noted in the report was in the availability of smoke-free housing. However, the improvement was not significant enough to bump the county a letter grade.

Last fall, the Merced County Housing Authority adopted a smoke-free policy, banning smoking in all of its properties.

Residents in pubic housing were notified back in September, and the policy went into effect Jan. 1. Merced County Housing Authority officials said 421 units in Merced, Atwater, Livingston, Los Banos and South Dos Palos would be affected by the change.

The change drew criticism and anger from longtime tenants, but health officials said the changes were in the public’s best interest by reducing nonsmokers’ exposure to secondhand smoke.

Jessica Kazakos, program coordinator for the Merced County Tobacco Control Coalition, said that while implementing smoke-free policies in public housing is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. Smoke-free multifamily residential housing units should be a more accessible option for all, she said.

Kazakos, who is new to the position, said she hopes to help revamp local anti-tobacco efforts. This year, she hopes to lead a coalition – made up of members from the public health department, law enforcement, local clinics, the American Heart Association and residents – that work to push for policies that can contribute to bringing future grades up, she said. Although progress does take time, she said.

“Improvement will depend on a combination of different things,” Kazakos said. “But I am a firm believer that education is key; it really goes a long way.”

One of Kazakos’ goals is to make strides in ending illegal cigarette sales to minors. As an example, Kazakos said last year five teens were trained to go into 21 stores in Atwater seeking to buy cigarettes. Some transactions did occur, she said.

This proves that there is still work to be done in educating store owners, youths and the general public, she said.

With the exception of Firebaugh and Parlier, all Fresno County cities also received failing grades. Chowchilla and Madera also scored an F.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Merced continues to fail in tobacco control, report shows."