Baseball fans are mourning the loss of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. He played for the San Diego Padres for twenty years and set hitting records before retiring in 2001.
In 2010, Gwynn was diagnosed with mouth cancer which he attributed to a dipping tobacco habit that he had through his playing career.
Chewing tobacco has been commonplace in baseball for many years and also off the field as well.
Following his death at age 54 on Monday, we spoke with Ann Barnum,
Senior Program Officer for Healthy Choices about Substance Use, Interact for Health in Cincinnati. The agency released new smoking data for southeast Indiana a week ago and we wanted to look into the use of smokeless tobacco in the region.
“It is higher here in this area than in some of the rest of the country,” Barnum said. “The idea of chewing is very prevalent in farming communities across the country, and that’s what we live in the most part.”
“So, yeah chew is a big deal and a big deal for young men.”
Health officials are gathering in Indianapolis today for the Indiana Tobacco Control Partner Information X-Change. It is hosted by the Indiana Department of Health Tobacco and Prevention and Cessation Commission and state tobacco control partners.
Special guest, Acting U.S. Surgeon General RADM Boris D. Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H., will discuss the 50th Anniversary of the Surgeon General’s Report.
Partners and stakeholders from across the State will gather to discuss smoking cessation and tobacco control efforts. The number one cause of preventable death and disease is smoking.
