24 Hours of Kicking Butts!33rd Annual Great American Smokeout The Great American Smokeout is an annual event in the United States to encourage Americans (of whom 45.8 million smoke) to quit tobacco smoking. It was first held in 1977, and is sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Its spokesman is Smokey Robinson. Urges Smokers to Quit on November 20th LOS ANGELES Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. -- The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is challenging smokers to quit tobacco use for at least 24 hours during the 33rd annual Great American Smokeout, which takes place on Thursday, November 20th this year. "The Great American Smokeout is a great opportunity to encourage the residents of LA County to commit to making a long-term plan to quit for good. Kicking the habit of smoking cigarettes or cigars, or of chewing tobacco chewing tobacco, n See smokeless tobacco. chewing tobacco Smokeless tobacco, see there will add years to your life and will immediately improve your health," said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. "Quitting smoking can also improve the health of your wallet. Purchasing a pack of cigarettes a day costs a smoker nearly $1,600 a year, which is money that can be spent on gas for your car or on fun activities for the family." Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of death and premature death Premature Death occurs when a living thing dies of a cause other than old age. A premature death can be the result of injury, illness, violence, suicide, poor nutrition (often stemming from low income), starvation, dehydration, or other factors. in Los Angeles and the U.S. Each year, smoking accounts for an estimated 438,000 premature deaths, including 38,000 deaths among nonsmokers as a result of secondhand smoke sec·ond·hand smoke n. Cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoke that is inhaled unintentionally by nonsmokers and may be injurious to their health if inhaled regularly over a long period. Also called passive smoke. . "It is well worth the effort to quit smoking when you consider that one out of six deaths in Los Angeles County is from tobacco-related diseases," said Dr. Fielding. "Smoking greatly increases the risk for many types of cancer, heart disease and stroke. Smokers are also 10 times as likely to develop peripheral vascular disease Peripheral Vascular Disease Definition Peripheral vascular disease is a narrowing of blood vessels that restricts blood flow. It mostly occurs in the legs, but is sometimes seen in the arms. , narrowing of blood vessels Blood vessels Tubular channels for blood transport, of which there are three principal types: arteries, capillaries, and veins. Only the larger arteries and veins in the body bear distinct names. in the legs, stomach, arms and kidneys." According to the Centers for Disease Control, quit smoking treatments, such as nicotine replacement therapies Nicotine replacement therapy A method of weaning a smoker away from both nicotine and the oral fixation that accompanies a smoking habit by giving the smoker smaller and smaller doses of nicotine in the form of a patch or gum. and counseling, can double quitting success rates. In addition to nicotine replacement, LA County residents are encouraged to call the California Smoker's Helpline at 1-800-NO-BUTTS for free, professional and confidential telephone counseling telephone counseling The provision of advice and verbalized moral support to a person with a particular need by a group of either volunteers or a paid staff with some level of experience and/or expertise in the area of interest; TC may include crisis , whether they are currently addicted to tobacco, have already quit or want information for a friend or relative. Additional information and resources for quitting smoking can be found at the www.LAQuits.com website. Smokers should include their friends and family in the fight to kick butts. Studies show that people are most likely to quit smoking when their friends, family, and coworkers decide to quit smoking. Nonsmoking non·smok·ing adj. 1. Not engaging in the smoking of tobacco: nonsmoking passengers. 2. Designated or reserved for nonsmokers: the nonsmoking section of a restaurant. friends and family can help by being aware and supportive of the struggle to quit, and resources are available to help them do so. The first Great American Smokeout took place on November 18, 1976, when the California Division of the American Cancer Society American Cancer Society, n.pr established in 1913, this national volunteer-based health organization is committed to the elimination of cancer through prevention and treatment and to diminishing cancer suffering through advocacy, scholarship, research, successfully encouraged nearly one million smokers to quit for the day. Additional Resources In addition to 1-800-NO-BUTTS and www.LAQuits.com, Los Angeles County smokers can also contact the following organizations: * Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Tobacco Control and Prevention--information and data on tobacco use in Los Angeles County, http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/tob/index.htm. * California Smokers' Helpline--free and confidential counseling services. Visit www.NoButts.org for information or to use click-to-call technology, where a counselor will call the person once contact information is entered on the website. Multi-language counseling service is also available: English: 1-800-NO-BUTTS (1-800-662-8887) Spanish:1-800-45-NO-FUME (1-800-456-6386) Cantonese: 1-800-838-8917 Korean: 1-800-556-5564 Mandarin: 1-800-838-8917 Vietnamese: 1-800-778-8440 TDD/TTY Hearing Impaired: 1-800-933-4TDD (Time Division Duplexing) A transmission method that uses only one channel for transmitting and receiving, separating them by different time slots. No guard band is used. Contrast with FDD. See also TDD/TTY. TDD - Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (1-800-933-4833) * www.TobaccoFreeCA.com--a service of the California Department of Public Health with quit tobacco resources, discussion boards and encouraging e-cards. This site also features click-to-call technology. * www.LastDragLA.com--information on Los Angeles County cessation classes specifically for gay and lesbian smokers. * American Cancer Society--cessation resources at (800) ACS-2345 or www.Cancer.org. * American Lung Association--quitting assistance available at (800) 586-4872 or www.LungUSA.org. * American Heart Association--tobacco cessation information at (800) 242-8721 or www.AmericanHeart.org. * American Legacy Foundation's BecomeAnEX.org--a nationwide service to help smokers quit, www.BecomeAnEX.org. * www.Smokefree.gov--resources, including online chat with smoking cessation smoking cessation Public health Temporary or permanent halting of habitual cigarette smoking; withdrawal therapies–eg, hypnosis, psychotherapy, group counseling, exposing smokers to Pts with terminal lung CA and nicotine chewing gum are often ineffective. specialists, from the National Cancer Institute. The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Public Health comprises more than 4,000 employees and an annual budget exceeding $750 million. To learn more about Public Health and the work we do, please visit http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov. |
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