The Cost of Smoking

Smoking is costing all of us.  below is an article that I found released by Navy medical.  It is good reading for both smokers and non-smokers.  For smokers, this is what you are costing us.  For non-smokers, this is what our smoking Shipmates are doing to us.

You can view the online version here: http://www.nmcphc.med.navy.mil/downloads/tobacco/truecost.pdf

The Financial Cost$ of Tobacco

Not only does tobacco harm the health of tobacco users, but the use of tobacco also costs

every single tax-payer in America.  Whether from billboards, healthcare offices, or media

sources, every American has been advised of the health effects of tobacco use. Even

those who pay dollars a day for their tobacco habit, very few people actually know the

real costs of tobacco.  The following information is provided to help you realize just what

the true costs of tobacco really are.  We hope that the following information will help you

decide to quit your tobacco habit.

National Healthcare Cost$

· Nationally it costs $72.7 billion a year to treat smokers who suffer from smokingrelated diseases.

· Smoking-related Medicaid costs amount to $12.9 billion per year.

· Smokers are 29 percent more likely to have annual medical insurance claims over

$5,000 than nonsmokers.

· Smoking during pregnancy costs the country more than $3 billion a year

Work Cost$

· Premature retirements and deaths caused by smoking have cost the country at

least $60 billion in lost wages per year.

· Smokers with group life insurance push up premiums for nonsmokers in the same

pool by $4 billion a year.

· Every smoker costs his or her company at least $1,000 a year because of

decreased productivity and increased health care costs.

· Smokers are more likely to be hurt at work than nonsmokers.

Fire Cost$

· Cigarettes are the leading cause of fire fatalities in the United States.

· Twenty-eight percent of all residential fire deaths were caused by smoking

materials.· Smoking is the second-leading cause of injuries related to household fires,

ranking second only to injuries caused by cooking-equipment fires.  In 1992, the

loss in property from smoking-related fires totaled $318 million.

Family Cost$

· A new study shows that parental smoking each year kills at least 6,200 children

· Smoking causes 5.4 million children serious ailments such as ear infection and

asthma

· In at least the fifteen states where the issue has been raised, courts have held that

it is appropriate to consider whether a parent smokes around a child in

determining whether they should be awarded custody.  States which have rules

that parental smoking around a child may be considered in custody proceedings

include: California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts,

Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South

Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

· People who smoke are more likely to be involved in car crashes for which they

are responsible.

Military Cost$

· The military spends $930 million per year on healthcare for smoking-related

illnesses and lost productivity

· A recent study of just active duty Air Force members below age 36 shows that

service spends $107 million a year to treat smokers and for lost time due to smoke

breaks. The study assumed "a conservative estimate" of three 10-minute smoke

breaks a day.  That's how much it would cost to employ 3,537 people for a year,

about the number on an average-sized Air Force base. Navy Cost$ at NTC

Let me close with some “true confessions” from recent successful quitters who have

attended the quit program here at Great Lakes. 

· One quitter related that two weeks after being quit, he was more productive at

work, getting about 2 hours more work done each day.  He also said he was more

efficient and felt better on the job.

· Returning Fleet sailors, (who have recently quit) stated that they would spend 2 to

3 hours per day just standing in line to smoke at the ship’s designated smoking

area. 

· Perhaps the most interesting “confession” came from an instructor at Service

School who stated that he used to give longer breaks to his students because of his

smoking habit.  Now that he has quit, he has cut his breaks and now has more

productive class time to teach needed technical skills.

It is imperative that we continue down the road to a tobacco free Navy and military as

well.  Help is available, free of charge, for all active duty members, their spouses, and

retirees in quitting their tobacco habits.  Make the Great American Smokeout,

Thursday 16 November, your day to commit to quit.  If you have any questions or

desire help in quitting your tobacco habit, contact the Wellness Center at 688-2617 or

the Fisher Dental Clinic at 688-3331 for help.  Again, the Great American Smokeout

is just around the corner and we are standing by to help with your commitment to quit

your smoked or smokeless habit. Remember:  Don’t wait for the health effects of

tobacco to make you quit, because tobacco cost$ you each day you use it.  

New PFA Reporting Standards on Your Evaluation

BUPERS 1610.10C is out.  Here are the changes that effect the we the PFA is going to be reported.  The information below is directly from the instruction.  In short, with one quick glimpse of an evaluation, your last 18 months of physical fitness will be known. 


PHYSICAL READINESS
Enter the one-letter code for the result of each official PFA conducted in the reporting period. Document all official PFAs in block 20 using the following format: PPP. This indicates the individual passed three official PFAs during the reporting period. Do not enter spaces or slashes between the characters. Enter specific PFA cycle identification information in block 29.

Do not use Physical Readiness Test (PRT) and Body Composition Assessment (BCA) that are not part of an official PFA. Performance trait grades and recommendations shall conform to the following:

a. No mandated or prohibited trait mark required in "Military Bearing"/”Professionalism” for promotability and/or retention for reporting period in which member's first or second PFA failure in a 4-year period occurs.

b. For reporting period in which a member has failed three or more PFAs in the most recent 4-year period,
(1) Enlisted members shall receive:

(a) A grade no greater than 1.0 in "Military Bearing" or Professionalism (CHIEFEVAL block 35 or EVAL block 36).

(b) Marks of "Significant Problems" and "Retention Not Recommended” (Eval block 45 and block 47), respectively.



(2) Officers shall receive:
(a) A grade no greater than 1.0 in "Military Bearing" (FITREP block 35).

(b) Mark for promotability shall be “Significant Problems”.



(3) For members with three PFA failures in most recent 4-year period that have an approved waiver, reporting seniors shall use their discretion when determining "Military Bearing" or "Professionalism" marks fora reporting period in which the member passes two consecutive PFAs. However, the member must still receive a not recommended for reenlistment or retention for that evaluation period. In those situations, insert a bullet in the evaluation stating why the member is not recommended due to having three or more PFA failures in the most recent 4-year period.


Overall score of "Outstanding" or "Excellent" are not required for assigning 5.0 in “Military Bearing” or “Professionalism”. Block 20 Physical Fitness Assessment Codes





P - Passed both Physical Readiness Test (PRT) and Body Composition Assessment (BCA)



B - Passed the BCA but was authorized non-participation in the PRT for other than medical waiver reasons (see code “N” for non-participation reasons). Use of this code requires a comment in the comments on performance block (block 43 – E1- E6 evaluations, block 41 – fitness reports, block 41 – E7-E9 Chief evaluations) with reason for non-participation in PRT.



F - Overall PFA failure (failed BCA or PRT).



M - Medically waived from entire PFA (BCA and PRT).



W - Passed BCA but medically waived from 1 or more PRT event(s).


N - No PFA conducted during reporting period. Non-participation in entire PFA (BCA and PRT) due to deployment/operational (Dep/Op), Individual Augmentee Manpower Management (IAMM), Global Support Assignment (GSA), Overseas Contingency Operation Support Assignment (OSA), pregnancy, temporary additional duty (TEMADD) or excused. (Note: BCAS shall be accomplished on all members even if onboard less than 10 weeks or unable to participate in PRT due to Dep/Op. Dep/Op for BCA must be approved by the immediate superior in command (ISIC). Use of this code does not require justification for PRT non-participation in the comments on performance block.


Note: Format for block 20 shall be from oldest to most recent PFA performed during the reporting period. For example, PBF in block 20 and PFA: 10-1/10-2/11-1 in block 29 indicates that the member passed 2010 Cycle 1, did not participate in the PRT portion of 2010 Cycle 2, and failed 2011 Cycle 1.

Culture of Fitness

Many members of the Navy Reserve struggle with the physical portion.  My goal was to show them how just 30 minutes a day can make a big improvement.  My secondary goal was to make them want to continue after the October PHA was completed.  Below is what I sent them.

With the Navy looking at every way under the sun to remove a Sailor from service, I do not want to see PFA failures as the reason. If you can get up 30 minutes earlier 3 days a week, you will not have any problems passing the physical portion of the PFA.  Below is a sample plan.  You can do either the run or the bike.  Do this routine 3 times a week.  By doing it in the morning, you will burn extra calories for the next few hours. 

Week	Sit-up	Pushup	Run	Bike
1	5	3	Run 1 minute, walk 5	Ride 5 minutes
2	10	5	Run 2 minutes, walk 5	Ride 6 minutes
3	15	10	Run 3 minutes, Walk 5	Ride7 minutes
4	20	15	Run 5 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 8 minutes
5	25	20	Run 6 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 9 minutes
6	35	30	Run 7 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 10 minutes
7	40	35	Run 8 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 11 minutes
8	50	40	Run 9 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 12 minutes
9	55	45	Run 10 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 13 minutes
10	60	50	Run 11 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 14 minutes
11	65	55	Run 12 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 15 minutes
12	35	30	Run 7 minutes, Walk 10	Ride 10 minutes

We are now a nation that is 1/3 fat.

In 2006, only the state of Mississippi had an adult obesity rate above 30 percent.  Now, 12 states are above 30 percent.  The rest, with exception of Colorado, is above 20 percent.  Here in Indiana, it is 29.1 percent.  That means it will be very difficult for you to look a 3 random people on the street and not see someone who is not overweight.  While this is good news for the local gyms and fad diet programs, it is bad news for the Navy.

Recently while working with a personal trainer, he corrected my views about genetics and body fat.  He told me there is a correlation between your body fat and your genetics.  5% of your natural body composition comes from your Mom and Dad.  The other 95% comes from your choice of lifestyle.  I thought the percentage was a little higher for genetics.  This just goes to show you that your health is in your own hands.  Sure, you can argue that Grandma and Grandpa struggled with their weight.  You can say Mom and Dad struggle also.  Well, let’s look at the lifestyle factor.  If Mom and Dad grew up in a house with overweight parents, they may have adopted their parent’s lifestyle.  Since we grew up in our parents’ home, we probably adopted our parent’s lifestyle.  If you fall into this category, you have the power to make a positive change in your life, as well as the lives of your family.

I encourage each and every one of you to evaluate the food you eat and your personal activity levels.  Don’t make a change for the Navy, make it for your families.

I’m back

Now that I’m A CFL once again, I’ll be posting up articles.  Currently I’m assigned to NR Chinhae HQ where I am serving as the Assistant LPO and CFL.  Get ready for some new posts.