Kylee Jones, Healthy Communities
Columbus
Thursday, Nov. 16, was the Great American Smokeout. This is a day set aside by the American Cancer Society to encourage smokers to give up tobacco, at least for one day, and to think about quitting for good.
These days, most people have a pretty good understanding of the harms caused by cigarette smoking, but about 1 in 5 Indiana adults still smoke. Smokers have a high risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease, and many other types of cancer. Smoking also increases the damage of chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma, and can increase the risk of strokes.
We can support Hoosier smokers attempting to quit by encouraging them to find their Day One and start there. We can also support their quit journey through free resources such as the Indiana Tobacco Quitline. Indiana residents ages 13 and over can contact the Quitline at 1-800-Quit-Now or www.QuitNowIndiana.com.
