BLOOMINGTON – Patches, gum, hypnosis, and sheer willpower are just some of the ways people try to quit tobacco. In honor of Men’s Health Month, help encourage the men in your life to make tobacco cessation a priority.
“Studies have shown that men may be at greater risk for some tobacco-related conditions because they use certain products more than women,” said Patricia Colon, MPH, CHES®, IU Health Community Health Tobacco Prevention Coordinator. “But overall, tobacco users have increased risk for premature death and health issues including cardiovascular disease and cancer.”
The data is telling, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that an estimated 34.1 million American adults currently smoke cigarettes.
The CDC website also offers a worrying statistic saying, “Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, or about 1 in 5 deaths.”
And while all smokers are at risk of increased health issues, please help encourage the men in your life to quit smoking in honor of Men’s Health Month.
“The FDA says, ‘Men who smoke are at risk for heart disease, cancer, lower respiratory diseases, stroke, and diabetes—the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth leading causes of death among men in the United States in 2015,’” said Colon. “Help decrease your risk and quit tobacco for good.”
The Indiana Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) offers free, evidence-based help to tobacco users to quit and stay quit. Visit QuitNowIndiana.com to find out more.
