Public Service Announcement: Smoking Cigarettes

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Teen Health Public Service Announcement- Smoking Cigarettes • Who is at risk? The CDC reports that about 43.8million US adults were cigarette smokers in 2011. When broken down by race/ ethnicity, the numbers were as follows: • Whites-20.6% • African americans-19.4% • Hispanics/latinos-12.9% • American Indians/Alaska natives-31.5% • Asian amerians-9.9% • Multi racial people-27.4% Nationwide 18% of high school students were smoking cigarettes in 2011. The most recent middle school survey, done in 2011, shows that about 4% were smoking cigarettes. In both high schools and middle schools, white and Hispanic/Latino (a) students were more likely to smoke cigarettes than other races/ethnicities.…show more content…
Get involved Take an active stance against teen smoking. Participate in local and school-sponsored smoking prevention campaigns. Support efforts to make public places smoke-free and increase taxes on tobacco products. Your actions can help reduce the odds that your teen will become a smoker. If your teen has already started smoking, avoid threats and ultimatums. Instead, find out why your teen is smoking — and discuss ways to help your teen quit. Avoiding or stopping smoking is one of the best things your teen can do for a lifetime of good health. • Here are 10 easy ways to quit smoking: 1. Delay. If you feel like you're going to give in to your tobacco craving, tell yourself that you must first wait 10 more minutes and then do something to distract yourself for that period of time. This simple trick may be enough to derail your tobacco craving. Repeat as often as needed. 2. Don't have 'just one.' You might be tempted to have just one cigarette to satisfy a tobacco craving. But don't fool yourself into believing that you can stop at just one. More often than not, having just one leads to another, then another — and you may wind up using tobacco…show more content…
Get physical. Physical activity can help distract you from tobacco cravings and reduce the intensity of cravings. Just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity can make a tobacco craving go away. Get out for a walk or jog. If you're stuck at home or the office, try squats, deep knee bends, push-ups, running in place, or walking up and down a set of stairs a few times. If physical activity doesn't interest you, try prayer, needlework, woodwork or journaling. Or do chores for distraction, such as vacuuming or filing paperwork. 5. Practice relaxation techniques. In the past, smoking may have been your way to deal with stress. Trying to resist a tobacco craving can itself be stressful. Take the edge off stress by practicing relaxation techniques. These include deep-breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, yoga, visualization, hypnosis and massage. 6. Call reinforcements. Touch base with a family member, friend or support group member for moral support as you struggle to resist a tobacco craving. Chat on the phone, go for a walk together or simply share a few laughs — or get together to commiserate about your

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