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spring 2007 |
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h
e a l t h P R O M O T I O N
Smokers’
Helpline shares strategies to help youth ‘kick the habit’
Thanks to the work of
health care providers such as physicians, in partnership with others
concerned about the health of young people, smoking among youth has
decreased over the past few years.
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By Mary Lynn Pender |
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Thanks to the work of health care
providers such as physicians, in partnership with others concerned
about the health of young people, smoking among youth has decreased
over the past few years. Currently, the smoking prevalence among
youth (age 15-19) in this province is 19 per cent, down from 22 per
cent in 2003 (CTUMS, 2005). This is certainly an encouraging sign
that the various measures being taken to discourage youth smoking
are really making a difference.
The NLMA was a strong supporter of the
smoke-free schoolyards policy, which came into effect in September 2006.
This policy demonstrates school and community support for healthy,
smoke-free school environments.
Recognizing the importance of quitting
smoking at an early age, the Smokers’ Helpline and the NLMA encourages
physicians and other health care providers to ask youth if they smoke,
and to refer them to the Smokers’ Helpline for support in quitting.
The Helpline offers specialized services
and protocols tailored to meet the needs of youth. All of the Smokers’
Helpline services can be accessed by phone or through the web at
www.smokershelp.net.
Services include self-help information, and support in setting up an
individualized plan to quit through telephone counseling, email
counseling and group programs. Through the Helpline website, youth can
easily access a variety of supports that are completely anonymous –
including “Chat Forums” which offer peer support as well as an “Ask a
Counselor” feature, tips to quit, and E-Quit messages which enable
smokers to receive daily quit messages to their email inbox.
The Smokers’ Helpline has identified a
number of effective strategies in helping youth kick the habit. The
Ontario Medical Association recommends that nicotine replacement therapy
(NRT) is safe for youth. In a statement from the OMA, it was noted that:
“Most daily smokers begin smoking before age 18. The nicotine patch and
gum are far safer than continued smoking. NRT should be considered for
all smokers including those under 18.”
Youth prefer brief interventions. In
addition, youth may not worry about the long-term health risks of
smoking. However, they do respond to graphic pictures depicting the
health effects of tobacco and are motivated to quit by the short-term
effects of smoking such as wrinkles and bad breath.
For more information or resources to help
youth quit smoking, call the Smokers’ Helpline at 1-800-363-5864.
Mary Lynn Pender is the coordinator of the
Newfoundland and Labrador Lung Association’s Smokers’ Helpline.
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