As the 35th Great American Smokeout approaches, people often wonder if the smokeout is indeed effective at encouraging others to quit.
In 1972, high school guidance counselor Arthur Mullaney encouraged all the people in his community in Randolph, Massachusetts not to smoke for just one day and give all the money they regularly spent on buying cigarettes to a scholarship for the high school. The movement earned them $4,500 and became a US public health tradition.
Although it seems that the current status of cigarette smoking is bad, it was worse 35 years ago when even pregnant women and pre-adolescents lit a stick or two. Because of anti-smoking laws and health education campaigns, more people have quit smoking than those who decided to keep the habit. One of these campaigns is the Great American Smokeout. Still, there are over 440,000 smoking-related deaths in the US alone.
As the 35th Great American Smokeout approaches, people often wonder if the smokeout is indeed effective at encouraging others to quit. The American Cancer Society’s spokesperson, Busola Afolabi, cited a study which said 45 percent of all smokers in America try to squelch the habit at least once last year.
Dr. Edward Partridge, the ACS national volunteer president, said: “Quitting smoking is a very important step in reducing cancer risk, as tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and death in the US.”
The ACS web site is the best place to start for people who want to stop smoking. The site contains on-line tools, which can help set a realistic rehabilitation program for those who are determined to live a healthy life.
Related Great American Smokeout Articles:
- Smokers Urged to Join Thursday’s Great American Smokeout (nlm.nih.gov)
- “Great American Smokeout 2010: Take the challenge!” and related posts (blogs.babble.com)
- Now is the Time to Quit Smoking (livesolara.com)
