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16 Wingspan campus news February 14, 2011 wingspan.lccc.wy.edu Is chew through Wyoming leads nation in smokeless tobacco use in 2010 By Cody Tucker Sports Editor Through with Chew is through. The former nationally recognized, federally funded program that “led the charge” against smokeless tobacco use now has a new name and a new focus. “Through with Tobacco” will now focus on all the different types of tobacco that endanger the “Cowboy State” and will continue to educate and fight for policy change in Wyoming. Although the program will still be heavily involved with smokeless tobacco awareness, is that too much responsibility for one program to take over Do the high smokeless tobacco rates justify having its own separate program Niki Mueller, Through with Tobacco program director and longest tenured anti-tobacco worker in Wyoming, said, “Yes.” Mueller did not want to see the Through with Chew program go away because of the positive strides made at the state and national level. She added smokeless use is still so high in the state. “This program should not be dissolved,” Mueller said. “It is important to educate and change the culture of smokeless tobacco use in Wyoming. It takes a lot of time to change the culture.” 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Wyoming leads the nation with one in six adult males in the state using some form of smokeless tobacco. Through with Tobacco will now face the daunting task of deterring and educating Wyoming residents on the dangers of all tobacco use. Although the program had been deemed a success on many levels, the numbers show that not only is Wyoming leading the country in many statistical categories of use, but also the number of male youths “dipping” has grown to a staggering 24.7 percent. The study also showed smokeless chew rates high among males These rates of smokeless tobacco use in Wyoming and other states in matched years (2008 adult data, 2007 high school data) show Wyoming is well above the national average. 8% 3% 15% 8% Through with Chew accomplishments: • Reduced tobacco industry sponsorship at Wyoming rodeos and fairs • Banned tobacco on or 25 feet from Western Wyoming Community College • Advocated for no sales policy of all tobacco at the University of Wyoming Through with Chew Week: • Feb. 20–26, at LCCC • Feb. 24, Great American Spit Out, at LCCC tobacco use is prevalent among white and Native American males, residents of the Southern and North Central states and people who typically have blue collar occupations, according to the CDC. In Wyoming specifically, the finger has been generally pointed at the “cowboy culture.” Mueller said the state’s smokeless tobacco use can be 15% 8% attributed to a generational problem. “It is a very cultural thing, and it elevates (tobacco) use,” Mueller said. “This is Marlboro country.” Smokeless tobacco can come in many different forms: loose leaf, plugs, twist rope, packaged, pouches or snus. The CDC found smokeless tobacco contains 28 cancercausing carcinogens and increases the risk of developing cancer 21% 13% in the oral cavity and pancreas. Besides the culture of spit tobacco in Wyoming, another cause for the increase in use could be blamed on smoking bans. The Through with Chew campaign had been very successful in promoting safe work places and, in turn, has created many smoke and “spit” free environments such as F.E. Wyoming Other States Adults Adult Males H.S. Students H.S. Males H.S. Females Source: Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center 7% 2% Cody Tucker Warren Air Force Base and the Wyoming Department of Corrections. However, some workers are resorting to smokeless tobacco or snus use, according to the CDC. Snus has become very popular because it is spit free and small in size, so it doesn’t give that “chew in the lip” appearance. Tobacco companies are also taking notice of the smoking bans by creating and promoting new, smoke-free, spitless products. In Wyoming, tobacco companies have spent more than $27.6 million to promote all their products. “Big tobacco companies wouldn’t spend the money they do for advertisements (in Wyoming) if there weren’t increases in use,” said Mark Hicks, project coordinator for Through with Chew. With “Through with Chew Week” around the corner on Feb. 20–26, a ban on smokeless tobacco use at Laramie County Community College has made its way to the forefront. That would be a very welcome policy for Mueller. “We have found that between the ages of 18-24, smokeless tobacco use is really high,” Mueller said. “(LCCC) is a perfect place to reinforce how dangerous not only chew is but all tobacco is.” Hicks agreed that educating students about smokeless tobacco and promoting healthy campuses are also an important part of the campaign. “No tobacco is safe,” Hicks said. “But we are making a dent and letting people know the dangers of spit tobacco and educating the Wyoming public. Anytime you can get policy change implemented, it’s huge.” Only time will tell if there is a need for two separate entities within the Wyoming Department of Health, but, for now, Mueller will continue to fight against the tobacco problem and be pro-active in getting policy changed in Wyoming. “I am really proud of the program,” Mueller said. “We put smokeless tobacco awareness on the map.”
February 14, 2011 wingspan.lccc.wy.edu campus news Wingspan 17 tate boom booms population By Hannah Wheeler Co-Editor Liar, liar, pants on fire! According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Wyoming ranks 51st in population, including Puerto Rico, reaching above 500,000 for the first time. Yet, economists say Wyoming is not gaining as many new residents as the census numbers suggest. The senior economist at the Economic Analysis Division of the Wyoming Department of Administration and Information, Wenlin Liu, said Wyoming’s population increase is not as great as it appears. Wyoming’s net population increased by roughly 70,000 in the last 10 years, and Liu said at least 60 percent of the increase was due to births. With this large number of new births taken into account, Wyoming grew only by roughly 42,000. Liu also said Wyoming is generally a negative state in that it has more population leave the state than migrate into the state. Liu said the primary reason new residents come to Wyoming is for job opportunities. Wyoming is currently in a more stable position than many other states during the economic downturn, Liu said. He said the recession did not hit Wyoming as early as it did other states, and Wyoming was much quicker to recover afterward. Liu also said Wyoming’s unemployment rate is significantly lower than the national average. Because the job opportunities that attract young workers to Wyoming are often labor-intensive, Liu said young people between the ages of 20 and 30 are the ones filling those positions. The bus can get you where you need to go! Liu said Wyoming has the lowest median, or average, age in the nation because of this. “The whole nation, the whole world is aging,” Liu said. “People are just getting older.” Liu said the world is aging because of advances in medical technology, which allow people to live longer, and, in turn, increase the median age of a state. While the rest of the nation and even the rest of the world grow older, Wyoming’s population grows younger. Liu said the median age of the United States in 2000 was 35.4 and then 36.8 in 2009 whereas the median age in Wyoming was 36.8 in 2005 and 35.9 in 2009. Wyoming’s population is being saturated with young workers while older workers retire out of state, Liu said. He said there are few popular places for retirees in Wyoming. Fares $1 Students 75 cents Monday—Friday 6 a.m.—7 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.—5 p.m. Liu warned Wyoming may face a worker shortage in the next 10 years. He said the “baby boomers,” those born in the ‘50s and ‘60s, make up a large percentage of Wyoming’s population. Liu said those baby boomers, who are now in their late 50s and early 60s, will soon retire, leaving a workforce void behind. He also said there are much fewer middle-aged workers, “generation X,” to take the baby boomers’ places. [See graph.] Liu said young people come to Wyoming to work, and if a boom lasts long enough, those people will put down roots and have families. But if the boom does not last, the workers leave. “Mainly our population increase is employment driven,” Liu said. Wyoming’s employment-driven population increase may also shed some light on Laramie County Community College’s recent influx of students. Because of Wyoming’s workforceheavy economy, companies situated here rely heavily on training from local community colleges. If a company locates to Wyoming, it will inevitably need a trained workforce. Stan Torvik, LCCC vice president of workforce and community development, said LCCC offers many workforce courses and programs. That is, LCCC has many students who come to be trained in their field of work or to be qualified for their field of work. “LCCC provides training to nearly 300 business partners in Wyoming,” Torvik said. He said LCCC offers refresher courses, short-term training and business leadership training classes, among many others. These classes prepare students to go directly into the workforce. Do not pass bachelor’s degree, do not collect massive debts. Torvik said any company considering locating to Wyoming could talk to him about its training needs. LCCC would then supply what it can with the space and faculty it can to accommodate the company’s needs. Baby Boomers ready to retire Wyoming’s Baby Boomers are retiring, and few in the Generation X group will take their places. Percent 7.3 8.1 7.0 5.8 5.8 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 Age group Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2009 statistics 6.5 7.8 7.9 6.7 5.1 3.7 Miscellaneous Generation X Baby Boomers 2.8 2.3 1.8 1.5 Hannah Wheeler
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