Help your patients quit smoking on World No Tobacco Day

This Sunday, May 31, is World No Tobacco Day organized by The World Health Organization (WHO). This year, WHO’s focus is on young people, and how the tobacco industry uses strategic advertising to make smoking appealing to youth. In addition, WHO discusses the added COVID-19 risk that smoking creates. Now is a great time for your patients to quit smoking, and we have resources available to help them do that.

How the tobacco industry attracts the younger generation

Tobacco products kill 8 million people every year, and in turn, the tobacco industry has spent over $9 billion in advertising to find new customers. In particular, the tobacco industry targets teenagers and children with over 15,000 kid-friendly flavors, social media marketing, product placement in entertainment media, advertising near schools, and many other tactics. On World Tobacco Day 2020, WHO aims to educate the younger generation on the dangers of tobacco products and give adults the tools to continue that education. For more information and WHO’s educational materials, check out their World No Tobacco Day 2020 page.

Tobacco products and coronavirus

While tobacco and its associated products are always dangerous, they’re especially so right now during the COVID-19 crisis. While there are currently no studies regarding whether or not smoking makes people more susceptible to COVID-19, smoking is already known to reduce lung capacity and increase the severity of respiratory diseases. In addition, smoking could potentially increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 given that the act of smoking involves touching one’s lips and mouth. This goes for all kinds of tobacco products, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, and all others.

How your patients can quit smoking

A CDC study from 2015 showed that two out of every three smokers want to quit smoking. However, less than one third of smokers who tried to quit used evidence-based cessation treatments, and fewer than one in 10 smokers were able to quit in 2014. Even if your patients want to quit smoking, they may not know how.

That’s why AllWays Health Partners offers the Quit for Life Program. This program helps smokers who want to quit find a quit plan that works for them. Patients can receive free counseling from a tobacco treatment specialist, coverage for stop-smoking medicines with a prescription, and education and resources on quitting. Your patients can contact 857-282-3096 or email
quitsmoking@allwayshealth.org to get started.

Click here to download a brochure about the AllWays Health Partners Quit for Life program.