rtality data in this table are voluntarily reported from 122 cities in the United States, most of which have populations of >100,000. A death is reported by the place of its currence and by the week that the death certificate was filed. Fetal deaths are not included. eumonia and influenza. cause of changes in reporting methods in this Pennsylvania city, these numbers are partial counts for the current week. Complete counts will be available in 4 to 6 weeks. cause of Hurricane Katrina, weekly reporting of deaths has been temporarily disrupted. al includes unknown ages. ovPub S E 20 7009 57/20 Weekly The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2008 is Tobacco-Free Youth: Break the Tobacco Marketing Net. The tobacco industry spends billions of dollars worldwide on advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. Recent data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey ndicate an increase in tobacco use among adolescent girls in many countries (1). Much of this increase has peen attributed to aggressive marketing by the tobacco ndustry (2), which encourages potential users, espetially adolescents, to try tobacco and become long-term consumers. Evidence-based tobacco-control strategies that are comprehensive, sustained, and support nonsmoking behavors have been shown to prevent and reduce tobacco use 3). The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control calls on countries to implenent scientifically proven measures to reduce tobacco ise and its impact (4). Additional information on World No Tobacco Day 2008 activities is available at http:// www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2008/en/index.html References 1. Warren CW, Jones NR, Eriksen MP, Asma S. Patterns of global tobacco use in young people and implications for future chronic disease burden in adults. Lancet 2006;367:749-53. World Health Organization. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2008. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2008. Available at http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/ mpower_report_full_2008.pdf. CDC. Best practices for comprehensive tobacco control programsOctober 2007. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Humans Services, CDC; 2007. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/ tobacco_control_programs/stateandcommunity/best_practices/ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS DEPT Tobacco use is one of the major preventable causes of premature death and disease in the world (1). The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes approximately 5 million deaths per year to tobacco use, a number expected to exceed 8 million per year by 2030 (2). In 1999, the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) was initiated by WHO, CDC, and the Canadian Public Health Association to monitor tobacco use, attitudes about tobacco use, and exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) among students aged 13-15 years. Since 1999, the survey has been completed by approximately 2 million students in 151 countries (3). A key goal of GYTS is for countries to repeat the survey every 4 years. This report summarizes results from GYTS conducted in Sri Lanka in 1999, 2003, and 2007. The findings indicated that during 1999-2007, the percentage of students aged 13-15 years who reported current cigarette smoking decreased, from 4.0% in 1999 to 1.2% in 2007. During this period, the percentage of never smokers in this age group likely to initiate smoking also decreased, from 5.1% in 1999 to 3.7% in 2007. Future declines in tobacco use in Sri Lanka will be enhanced through development and implementation of new tobacco-control measures and strengthening of existing measures that encourage smokers to quit, eliminate exposure to SHS, and encourage persons not to initiate tobacco use. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION |