Why should I quit smoking?

By April Speck, Coordinator,

Clinton County Healthy Hometown Coalition

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. Yet more deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.

In 2009, an estimated 20.6 percent of all American adults age 18 and older—46.6 million people—smoked. Every day another 850 young people age 12 to 17 began smoking on a daily basis. As a result of widespread tobacco use, approximately 443,000 Americans die from tobacco-related illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease, each year. An estimated 49,000 of these deaths are the result of secondhand smoke exposure. For every person who dies from tobacco use, another 20 suffer from at least one serious tobacco-related illness.

Tobacco use poses a heavy burden on the U.S. economy and medical care system. Each year, cigarette smoking costs more than $193 billion in medical care costs, while secondhand smoke costs an additional $10 million. Tobacco use is, thus, one of the nation’s deadliest and most costly public health challenges.

If you want to quit smoking, please contact your family doctor to discuss your options.

Upcoming Healthy Hometown Coalition Events:

AES Walking Buddies is going strong, but we still need CCHS students to be positive role models to our younger students. If you are interested, please go to AES Monday-Friday between 7:15 a.m. -7:35 a.m. CCHS students will receive volunteer hours!

Community Leaders Tabletop Discussion is scheduled for Tuesday, January 14th 9:00 a.m. at City Hall. Invitations will be sent out at a later time.

Nutrition Tabletop Discussion is rescheduled for Tuesday, January 21st 1:00 p.m. at Clinton County Extension Office.

CCHS students will being teaching and facilitating the Take 10! Curriculum with ECC students starting January 7th. CCHS students will focus on small 10 minute exercises to get the students physically active and to help stimulate learning.

For more information contact Healthy Hometown Coordinator, April Speck at april.speck@clinton.kyschools or 606-306-7044.

Follow Healthy Hometown Project on Twitter: @HealthyHomeKY , and on Facebook: Kentucky’s Healthy Hometown Initiative-Clinton County

Healthy Hometown is working toward a “healthy” Clinton County.