Thursday Is Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout
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Staff Report-
Thursday is the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, which encourages smokers across the country to quit smoking in order to lead a healthier life. Now more than ever, focus should be placed on helping women quit smoking, according to a press release from Kosciusko County Tobacco Free Coalition. In the last 50 years, a woman’s risk of dying from smoking has more than tripled and is now equal to men’s risk, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. In Indiana, the smoking rate for women is 21.5 percent, which is higher than the national average of 17.2 percent. Cigarette smoke can affect almost every area of the body and is associated with many chronic diseases. Women who smoke are at increased risk for heart attack, stroke, emphysema and other chronic illnesses, the release states. Today, more women die from lung cancer than breast cancer, and the risk of lung cancer among female smokers is 10 times higher than in 1959. Quitting can be the most difficult thing a former smoker does in his/her lifetime, but the benefits of quitting far outweigh the many risks of smoking, the release states. Lung cancer is not a single disease; rather, it is a group of cancers that originate in the lungs and associated tissues. Lung cancers are typically divided into two major types: small-cell lung cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer. Lung cancer accounts for more deaths than any other cancer in both men and women. In Indiana, during 2013, 2,444 women were diagnosed with lung cancer, and 1,724 died as a result of the disease. There are some signs and symptoms of lung cancer; however, often they do not occur until the cancer is advanced. Signs and symptoms include persistent cough, sputum streaked with blood, chest pain, voice changes and recurrent pneumonia or bronchitis. According to the American Cancer Society, advancements in early detection screenings have been shown to reduce lung cancer deaths by 16 to 20 percent. The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography in adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30-pack per year smoking history and currently smoke, or have quit within the past 15 years. Smoking accounts for 87 percent of lung cancer deaths and at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths. If all tobacco smoking were stopped, the occurrence of lung cancer would decrease by an estimated 90 percent, the release states. According to the Surgeon General’s Report, “The Health Consequences of Smoking – 50 Years of Progress,” rates for lung cancer deaths are 13 times higher for adults who currently smoke when compared to adults who have never smoked. Behaviors can have a direct impact on preventing lung cancer. Individuals can: • Be smoke free. Quitting tobacco smoking substantially decreases your risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases. Smokers who quit smoking, regardless of age, live longer than people who continue to smoke. • Avoid all secondhand smoke exposure. Visit Indiana’s Tobacco Quitline at www.in.gov/quitline, or call 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) for free, evidence-based assistance to help quit smoking. Kosciusko County can also help prevent lung cancer by: • Learning about effective strategies to promote tobacco use prevention and control. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a great overview in “The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health.” • Supporting community-based and minority-based partnerships for tobacco prevention in Indiana. Visit the Indiana State Department of Health Tobacco Prevention & Cessation webpage to learn about tobacco-related data, policies and tobacco control. www.in.gov/isdh/tpc • Support for the continued adoption of smoke-free workplaces. The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that smoke-free work-place policies are the only effective way to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke in all workplaces and lead to less smoking among workers. • Support health care provider outreach efforts that help decrease tobacco consumption and increase quit attempts. You can support female smokers to quit by encouraging participation in the Great American Smokeout Thursday and calling the Indiana Tobacco Quitline at 800-QUIT-NOW. Kosciusko County Tobacco Free Coalition can get the needed information and support to help you, your friend, and loved one to stop smoking. Great American Smokeout can make a difference by contacting Dan Gray at 260-571-2464 or by email at tobaccofreekosciusko@hotmail.com
