Beth Smith, Community Health Educator with the Henry and Stark County Health Departments, displays some of the anti-smoking outreach and display items the Health Department uses in Smoke and Tobacco Free Education Programs.
Tobacco-Prevention Program are delivered by trained health educators and offered at no charge to schools. It is designed to help children understand the implications of using tobacco products. Be Smart, Don’t Start! provides students with information about keeping lungs healthy as well as information about peer pressure and tobacco advertising. It offers a fun way to get across a crucial message. These visits are sponsored through grant monies received from the American Heart Association and the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Commonly asked tobacco questions:
Does smoking cause cancer? Yes. Smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States. It causes 87% of lung cancer deaths in men and 70% in women. In addition, Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and spit and other types of smokeless tobacco all cause cancer. There is no safe way to use tobacco.
What in tobacco smoke is harmful? Tobacco smoke is made up of more than7,000 chemicals, including 70 known to cause cancer. Tobacco smoke also contains tar and the poison gases carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. The ingredient that produces the effect people are looking for is nicotine, an addictive drug and one of the harshest chemicals in tobacco smoke.
Does smoking tobacco affect your heart? Yes. Smoking tobacco increases the risk of heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in the US.
Is Second Hand Smoke dangerous? Second Hand Smoke contains the same harmful chemicals the smokers inhale. Children and babies are at special risk and are more likely to get sick and even die than children who are not around second hand smoke.
What are the chances that smoking will kill you? About half of the people who keep smoking will die because of it. In the US 1 in 5 deaths, or 480,000 premature deaths each year. Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in our society.
For more information on health education presentation. call the Health Department at (309) 852-5272 (Main Office), (309) 792-4011 (Colona Office) or (309) 852-3115 (Stark County) or visit our website at www.henrystarkhealth.com. or find us on Facebook at Henry and Stark County Health Departments.
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