MONTH OF JUNE FOCUSES ON:
LGBT Pride Month
Men's Health Month
National Healthy Homes Month
LGBT Pride Month
In 2017, 31.3% of LGBT adults in Indiana were current smokers.
E-cigarettes use was about two times higher among LGBT adults than straight adults in 2017.
Smoking prevalence was about 44% higher among LGBT Hoosiers than those who did not identify as LGBT.
Men's Health Month
In 2017, smoking prevalence was significantly higher among Indiana men 23.5% than women 20.1%
The greatest gift you can give your kids on Father's Day is...
Whether it's breakfast in bed or a round of golf, Father's Day is the perfect time, for most kids, to show "Dad" some well-deserved appreciation. It's also the perfect time to help them to be "tobacco-free".
When men quit smoking, they improve their health, and the health of the people around them. Fathers who stop smoking improve the likelihood that their children will grow up to be tobacco-free and lead longer, healthier lives.
Educate your child about the dangers of cigarette smoking.
Talk about addiction and how hard it is to quit smoking.
Emphasize the effects of smoking on physical appearance, like face wrinkles and bad breath.
Talk to your kids about how tobacco companies target them by trying to make tobacco seem cool so they can addict them as life-long customers.
Emphasize the immediate health effects, like stress, increased blood pressure and coughing.
What does research show?
According to the American Journal of Epidemiology, suggests that erectile dysfunction (ED) is more likely in men who smoke compared to those who never did. But in younger men with ED, cigarette smoking is very likely the cause. Improve your sex life by calling 1.800.Quit.Now.
National Healthy Homes Month
July 31, 2018 The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) finalized a rule for each Public Housing Agency (PHA), which oversees public housing, to adopt a smokefree policy. The rule prohibits lit tobacco products—e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and hookahs—in all living units, indoor common areas, administrative offices and all outdoor areas within 25 feet of housing and administrative office buildings. We applaud this HUD smokefree ruling because it will affect more than 940,000 public housing units, as well as protecting 760,000 children living in public housing.
If you or someone in your household smokes, free resources for quitting are available:
1.800.Quit.Now (1-800-784-8669) or (1-855-335-3569) (for Spanish speakers) or visit
https://www.quitnowindiana.com/ -This free service offers many resources, including coaching, help with making a quit plan, educational materials, referrals to other resources where you live, information on FDA-approved cessation medications, and, in some cases, free or discounted cessation medications.
Quick Facts about Mental Health and Tobacco Addiction:
In an effort to better support tobacco users with mental health conditions, the Indiana Tobacco Quitline is now offering the intensive Tobacco Cessation Behavioral Health Program (TCBHP) to meet the needs of this population. The program design includes higher intensity behavioral and pharmacological support consisting of:
• 7 scheduled calls scheduled to provide additional support during the pre-quit planning phase and prevent relapse.
• 12-week regimen of combination therapy NRT.
• A letter sent to the participant’s health care provider informing them that their patient is attempting to quit tobacco and giving them some suggestions on how they can support them in the process.
• A team of dedicated Coaches who have received additional extensive training on mental illness and tobacco cessation and who are able to flex intervention content and tailor the treatment to these participants.
Mission
Tobacco Free Howard County is a coalition including local partners, nonprofit, health ,faith and community organizations committed to educating the public on the deadly hazards of tobacco use. We are committed to decreasing secondhand exposure, encouraging smoking cessation (1.800.Quit.Now) and youth advocacy to improve a healthier smoke free community.
Services
COMBAT TOBACCO USE
Protect and maintain a tobacco control alliance infrastructure needed to combat tobacco use, as well as work locally to reduce tobacco use.
PROTECT HOOSIERS
Work to protect Hoosiers from exposure to secondhand smoke, supporting local and/or statewide smoke-free air ordinances.
DECREASE ADULT SMOKING
Promote the Indiana Quitline (1-800-QUIT NOW) and support employers by providing tobacco treatment resources at their workplace.
PREVENT YOUTH SMOKING
Promote and educate the community about tobacco point-of-sale strategies implemented at the local level to entice youth to smoke.
Contact
For more information, contact Shirley Dubois, Tobacco Free Coordinator, at: 765.513.8514 or shirley.dubois@kokomoymca.orgFor more information on cessation, visit:
https://www.quitnowindiana.com/
For more information about the smoke free ordinance, visit:
http://www.howardcountyin.gov/community/smoke-free
Community Support
After decades of progress lowering smoking rates, we know what works to protect youth from tobacco products. We need state lawmakers to act this year to make sure communities have the resources they need to do this work. Raising the cigarette tax by $2 will generate resources to take on this epidemic.
#RaiseItForHealth
