Study Shows Texas Lags in Cancer Prevention
More than 35 cities in Texas have strong smoke-free policies, but there is no statewide ban. Photo courtesy flickr.com/photos/nowcastsaA study out today finds there’s much more Texas could be doing to prevent and fight cancer. The annual “How Do You Measure Up?” survey looks at how all states have progressed against seven benchmarks set by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
Green indicators are given for states meeting the survey’s standard. Texas only received one green for legislation that makes all insurance companies cover screenings for colon cancer.
The state was close to the benchmark on four topics, including breast cancer screening and tobaccos taxes, but earned the lowest designation for tobacco-prevention funding and not having a statewide workplace smoking ban. Claudia Rodas is with the American Cancer Society.
“What the report measures is whether or not the entire state has a strong smoke-free law,” Rodas says. “The state of Texas does have over 35 cities that have strong smoke-free policies, [but] that does not go towards the entire credit. What they look at is the entire state.”
Benchmarks in the study do not give Texas credit for its $3 billion investment in cancer research.
The American Cancer Society hopes the results will push lawmakers to pass legislation in the 2013 session in order to address what the survey considers the state’s shortcomings.
