According to the "Tobacco Free Kids" group:
1) 27.8 percent of high school students in Alabama smoke.
2) That computes to some 70,000 teen smokers in Alabama.
3) 10,600 under 18 kids start smoking each year in Alabama.
Food for thought?
[ADDENDUM: Read the story in the Press-Register on Monday 5/4 by Brian Lyman, asking if fat state employees (45%!) should pay an increased premium.]
The most Popular Posts of the past seven days.
May 2, 2009
Un-Wellness
The Montgomery Advertiser reports Alabama educators will have to do without some of the wellness programs that have been part of their health insurance...
"Deputy Director Marc Reynolds said eliminating health screenings, osteoporosis screenings, Weight Watchers and other features of the wellness program should save $3.5 million in the new fiscal year."
The Department of Education is all about cutting expenses these days, just like you are. Teachers who smoke will have to pay two dollars more each month for their insurance too. How many Alabama school employees smoke? 20,000, according to the story. There are 91,538 school employees (including support staff) according to the Alabama State Department of Education
annual report, meaning 21.8% of them smoke, a smaller percentage than the state rate and the teen smoking rate.
According to the "Tobacco Free Kids" group:
1) 27.8 percent of high school students in Alabama smoke.
2) That computes to some 70,000 teen smokers in Alabama.
3) 10,600 under 18 kids start smoking each year in Alabama.
Food for thought?
[ADDENDUM: Read the story in the Press-Register on Monday 5/4 by Brian Lyman, asking if fat state employees (45%!) should pay an increased premium.]
According to the "Tobacco Free Kids" group:
1) 27.8 percent of high school students in Alabama smoke.
2) That computes to some 70,000 teen smokers in Alabama.
3) 10,600 under 18 kids start smoking each year in Alabama.
Food for thought?
[ADDENDUM: Read the story in the Press-Register on Monday 5/4 by Brian Lyman, asking if fat state employees (45%!) should pay an increased premium.]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Remember the phrase in the years-ago teevee commercial, "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later."?
ReplyDeleteIt certainly seems that the "buy now, pay later," philosophy has come home to roost, now doesn't it?
Of course, there are other pithy adages which say, "a penny saved is a penny earned," and who could forget "penny-wise and pound foolish"?
The long-term costs associated with treating the illnesses resulting from poor circulation, impaired pulmonary function or cancer from smoking or diabetes secondary to obesity far exceeds the costs of prevention.
But, let's "buy now, and pay later," eh?
That's a classic case of MISPLACED PRIORITIES (or lack of understanding).