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| The Department of Health and Hospitals Tobacco Control Program and Red Lerille’s Fitness Team will host a “Kick the Habit” event on Thursday, Nov. 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Southwest Medical Center. Local celebrities and anyone who wants to quit smoking, or wants to help someone who does, will take out their smoking frustrations on a kickboxing dummy and even join in Tae Bo kickboxing demonstrations. A 20-foot cigarette butt will mark the location at 2810 Ambassador Caffery Parkway and serve as a reminder to kick the habit. There will be a light lunch provided by Subway, Albertsons and Acadiana Bottling.
“We know that quitting tobacco use is one of the most difficult things a person can do,” explained Dr. Frederick P. Cerise, DHH secretary. “It is so difficult, in fact, that many smokers simply struggle with the frustration and anger of maintaining a tobacco habit rather than attempting to quit.”
Cigarette smoke contains nearly 5,000 chemical compounds, including arsenic, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide. Long-term exposure to secondhand smoke may increase the risk of lung cancer by 25 percent. In an average week, more than 80 percent of Louisiana residents are exposed to secondhand smoke.
“Every day in Louisiana, two people die from secondhand smoke,” said Diane Hargrove-Roberson, director of Tobacco Control. “The dangerous chemicals in cigarettes, 34 of which are cancer-causing, affect all of us, not just the smoker. 75 percent of Louisianans don’t smoke, so we’ve got to help people stop this dangerous addiction.”
The Louisiana Tobacco Control Program, a division of DHH, works to educate smokers and nonsmokers on the dangers of secondhand smoke. Program officials also provide resources for those who need help quitting, including a toll-free number,
800-QUIT-NOW, and a website, www.800quitnow.com. Additional resources and information will be available at this event.
The “Great American Smokeout” will be held nationally on Nov. 17. The event is organized by the American Cancer Society each November to help smokers quit cigarettes for at least one day, in hopes they will quit forever.
“We hope that our kickboxing class will show people the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and encourage smokers to, once and for all, butt out,” added Red Lerille, owner of Red’s Health and Racquet Club. “Quitting smoking can show improvement in your body in as quickly as 20 minutes and reduces your risk for cancer and heart disease.”
This event is open to the public and anyone who smokes, knows someone who smokes or has a loved one who died from smoking is urged to attend what could be a lifesaving event.
For more information, visit www.800quitnow.com.
About The Louisiana Tobacco Control Program
The Louisiana Tobacco Control Program, under the Department of Health and Hospitals, began in 1993 as community and statewide program of advocacy for a tobacco-free environment. The program is committed to promoting partnerships and using research-based strategies for tobacco prevention, control and awareness in order to empower citizens to make healthy lifestyle choices to create a Tobacco-Free Louisiana. |
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