Utah Quit Net: Help to Quit Tobacco

It’s a critical health issue because 81% of those who do smoke, want to quit. If you smoke, what can you do to stop. Lena Dibble with the Utah department of Health’s Tobacco prevention and Control Program has some timely tips.

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Overview:

Despite great progress with the anti-tobacco campaign, much remains to be done—more than 200,000 Utahns continue to use tobacco. Smoking rates remain high among Utahns with low education and income levels and among some racial and ethnic communities.

• Each year, more than 1,100 Utah adults die as a result of their own smoking, and an estimated 140 to 250 adults, children, and babies die due to secondhand smoke exposure.

• The Utah economy loses a staggering $530 million annually to smoking-attributable medical and productivity costs.

• Major tobacco companies spend more than $60 million each year marketing tobacco products in Utah – several times more than what Utah spends on anti-tobacco programming.

Quick Facts Pertaining to Utah:

• 9.5% of Utah adults smoke.

• 81% of Utah’s smokers want to quit.

• 52% of Utah smokers tried to quit last year.

• 5.9% of Utah’s pregnant women smoke.

• 24,000 Utah children breathe secondhand smoke in the home.

• Personal support (i.e. from family, friends and co-workers) increases the likelihood of successfully quitting by 50%.

Progress made since 1999:

• Adult smoking declined at twice the rate of the rest of the United States.

• Utah remains the only state with an adult smoking rate below 10%. The national average is 21.0%.

• Youth smoking decreased by 38%.

• Experimentation with smoking among high school students reached a historic low of 25%.

• Smoking during pregnancy decreased by 23%.

• The rate of children exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes decreased by more than 50%.

Smoking statistics:

• More than 4,000 chemicals are found in a single puff of smoke.

• On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.

• In the United States, cigarette smoking is responsible for about one in five deaths annually, or about 438,000 deaths per year.

• Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

References:

1. Fast Facts. (2006). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 21, 2007, from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/FastFacts.htm#toll

2. Utah Department of Health. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). 2006. Salt Lake City: Utah Department of Health. Center for Health Data.

3. Utah Birth Certificate Database. Retrieved on August 13, 2007 from Utah Department of Health, Center for Health Data, Indicator-Based Information System for Public Health Web Site: http://ibis.health.utah.gov/query/module/selection/birth/BirthSelection.html.

4. Utah Department of Health. Utah Health Status Survey, 2001-2006. Salt Lake City: Utah Department of Health. Center for Health Data.
5. Fiore MC, Bailey WC, Cohen SJ, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser vices. Public Health Service. June 2000.

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TIPS to QUIT Smoking

Here are some steps to help you prepare for your Quit Day:

‡ Pick the date and mark it on your calendar.

‡ Write down the reasons why you want to quit and review them regularly.

‡ Tell friends and family of your quit day.

‡ Stock up on sugarless gum, cinnamon sticks, carrot sticks, hard candy.

‡ Decide on a plan. Will you use nicotine replacement therapy (the patch or gum)? Will you attend a smoking cessation class? If so, sign up now. How will you avoid triggers?

‡ Practice saying, “No thank you, I don’t smoke.”

‡ Set up a support system. This could be a group class, Nicotine Anonymous, or a friend who has successfully quit and is willing to help you.

Successful quitting is a matter of planning and commitment, not luck. Decide now on your own plan. Spend a few days identifying what triggers you to smoke. Plan what you are going to do in those situations/how are you going to avoid them.

Use the ideas below to help you keep your commitment to quitting:

‡ Avoid. People and places where you are tempted to smoke. Later on you will be able to handle these with more confidence.

‡ Alter. For example, switch to soft drinks or water instead of alcohol or coffee. Take a different route to work; take a brisk walk instead of a coffee/smoke break

‡ Alternatives. Use oral substitutions such as sugarless gum, toothpicks or hard candy, raw vegetables such as carrot sticks, or sunflower seeds. Handling substitutes such as stress balls can be helpful.

‡ Activities. Exercise or hobbies that keep your hands busy (needlework, woodworking, etc.) can help distract you from the urge to smoke.

‡ Deep Breathing. When you were smoking, you breathed deeply as you inhaled the smoke. When the urge strikes now, breathe deeply and picture your lungs filling with fresh, clean air. Remind yourself of your reasons for quitting and the benefits you’ll gain as an ex smoker.

‡ Delay. If you feel that you are about to light up, delay. Tell yourself you must wait at least 10 minutes. Often this simple trick will allow you to move beyond the strong urge to smoke.

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Call to Action: For help in quitting, call 1-888-567-TRUTH or visit www.utahquitnet.com
Or for tips on helping a friend or family member quit tobacco, visit www.wediditstory.com

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