Report smoking is leading cause of premature death in WI
Madison, WI (AP 4/10/90)

WI needs to beef up its enforcement of anti-smoking laws to curb what has become the No. 1 cause of premature death in the state, a report says.

The report, titled "Healthier People in WI: A Public Health Agenda for the Year 2000," listed tobacco as the leading cause of premature death, claiming more than 5,000 lives a year.

Gov. Tommy G. Thompson said he would approve but not recommend raising the state's 30-cent cigarette tax to help pay for the actions recommended in the 100-page report that was released Monday.

The early deaths related to tobacco are mainly from heart attacks, strokes, cancer and chronic lung diseases, according to a summary of the report by the state DHHS.

Tobacco causes more cardiovascular disease deaths than cancer deaths, but it also is the leading cause of cancer in men and has caused a rise in lung cancer among women, the report said.

It also said about 23% of WI residents 18 or older smoke, and it recommends that the state work to reduce that to 15% by the end of the decade.

The report said a typical smoker consumes 106 packs of cigarettes a year, and it recommends the state work to reduce that to less than 80 packs per person per year.

During the last 25 years, the number of people in the U.S. who smoke has declined, but studies show that women, minorities and less-educated people are slower to quit than others. The report also said young people continue to take up smoking at high rates.

To achieve such goals, the report urged enforcement of the state's clean indoor air act, which at a minimum restricts smoking to segregated, well ventilated rooms in public buildings and places of employment.

It also urged that schools use drug abuse classes to teach children the hazards of smoking and urge them to avoid tobacco.

Tobacco and a poor diet are the leading causes of cancer, responsible for two of three cancer deaths, the report said. In 1987, a total of 9,388 WI people died of cancer.

As far as improved nutrition, the report urged residents to reduce their intake of dietary fat and use of alcohol. Roughly 28% of WI's residents are overweight. The report recommends reducing that to 25% by the year 2000.

The report also covered deaths and injuries due to traffic accidents and violence. In 1988, traffic accidents claimed 813 lives, or 19 per 100,000 residents. The report recommends reducing that to 16 per 100,000.

Homicides in WI averaged 151 a year the first half of the last decade. In 1987, homicides totaled 175. The murder rate per 100,000 is 3.2, and the report recommended setting a goal of reducing that to 2 per 100,000.

The report noted from 1980-85, the murder rate per year per 100,000 residents was higher in cities: 9.9 in Milwaukee; 7.1 in Kenosha, 5.1 in Racine and 3.5 in Madison.

The report listed other health problems and year 2000 goals:

• Breast cancer: The report noted breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among WI women. More than 3,000 women have breast cancer, and more than 800 died from the disease in 1988. That year, only 54% of the women 50 years of age or older had had a mammogram. The report urges that that be increased to at least 80 by the year 2000.
• Lyme disease: In 1984, Lyme disease was occurring at a reported rate of 3.7 cases per 100,000 residents. By 1987, it had doubled to 7.5 per 100,000, and the reported incidence in all likelihood is underestimated. The goal is to reduce the annual reported incident of Lyme disease to 6.5 cases per 100,000 residents.
• AIDS: In WI, 564 cases were reported by Dec. 1, 1989. The disease results from infection by the human immunodeficiency virus.

The report sets goals of limiting HIV infections to no more than 0.4% of the general population; 9% of sexually active homosexual and bisexual males, and 13% of intravenous drug users.