American Legacy Foundation(R) supports
National Public Health Week and 'Healthy Aging'
Comments from Cheryl Healton,
Dr. PH, foundation president and CEO
WASHINGTON, April 5 /PRNewswire/
-- The American Legacy Foundation recognizes National Public Health
Week as an opportunity for Americans to focus on ways they can
improve their health and that of family and friends. No single
action achieves these goals more directly than choosing to live a
smoke-free life. Every year tobacco-related disease kills about
440,000 people in the United States, making it the single-largest
preventable cause of death in this country.
Choosing to stop smoking at any
age can result in health improvements:
* Five to 15 years after
smoking, a former smoker reduces risk of stroke to the same as a
non-smoker's.(1)
* Ten years after quitting, a
former smoker's risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a
smoker.(2)
* And quitting smoking increases
life expectancy: Quitting at age 45 increases life expectancy by 5
to 7 years. Quitting at age 55 increases life expectancy by 3 to 6
years. Quitting at age 65 increases life expectancy by 2 to 4 years.(3)
* Soon after you quit smoking
your risk of heart disease and heart attack declines. Within five years
the risk is equivalent to a non-smoker.
Quitting smoking is difficult, yet
we know that 70 percent of smokers still say they want to quit.(4)
To provide these smokers with the help they need to successfully
quit, we have established a basic set of guidelines that any smoker
can adapt to his or her own life.
1. Talk to your doctor: Before
beginning any smoking cessation plan you should always consult with
a health care provider and ask about medications that can reduce
cravings, and help you quit.
2. Get counseling: Professional
counseling can dramatically increase your chances of quitting. Find
out about resources in your community including one-on-one sessions
and/or group sessions. You can also call 1-800-QUITNOW.
3. Get support from family,
friends and co-workers: People with a strong social support network
are more likely to quit for good.
These guidelines can help any
smoker who wants to quit, and a smoker who makes this choice also
can improve the health of family and friends. Most smokers
understand the impacts smoking will have on their own health, but
America's children are silent victims of smoking. Last summer,
foundation research documented how tobacco -- specifically
secondhand smoke -- caused increased incidence of pediatric asthma
cases, ear infections, low birth weight and sudden infant death
syndrome for America's children. Protecting our children and being
around for them in the long term is a motivation for many parents
and grandparents to quit. On average, smokers lose 14 years of
potential life.(5) So, making the choice to stop smoking also means
gaining years of time with family and friends.
Addressing tobacco-related illness
as America's number-one preventable cause of death is the American
Legacy Foundation's focus during American Public Health Week and
every other day of the year. For more information on tobacco
prevention and cessation, we invite you to visit us at
http://www.americanlegacy.org/ and join us in building a
tobacco-free world.
American Legacy Foundation
The American Legacy Foundation(R) is dedicated to building a world
where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in
Washington, D.C., the foundation develops programs that address the
health effects of tobacco use through grants, technical assistance
and training, youth activism, strategic partnerships,
counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns, public
relations, and outreach to populations disproportionately affected
by the toll of tobacco. The foundation's national programs include
Circle of Friends(R), Great Start(R), a Priority Populations
Initiative, Streetheory(R) and truth(R). The American Legacy
Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master
Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46
states, five US territories, and the tobacco industry. Visit
http://www.americanlegacy.org/