JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
The Health and Wellness Center was recently a sponsor of the national Great American Smokeout on Joint Base Charleston.
Held annually, the campaign is in its 34th year and ultimately urges tobacco users to give up the habit for 24 hours. Despite nicotine's grip, the HAWC reported many pledges and even more visitors who were interested in how they could quit for good.
With booths set up at the 628th Medical Group and the Base Exchange, passersby were casually exposed an enormity of handouts, pamphlets, booklets and freebies supplied by the HAWC to educate people on the dangers of tobacco and what a user can do about it.
Despite the dangers, smoking still is not an entirely agreed upon topic. One elderly man waiting for his medication near the medical group booth was solicited, but said it was his wife who was the smoker. He'd said like her to quit, but all the information in the world wasn't going to change her mind.
He said it comes down to a personal choice.
Senior Airman Marcus Maltese, a bioenvironmental engineering journeyman with the 628 MDG, said the same, except he was among those willing to make the change. He stepped right up and put his name on a pledge after being a smoker for six years.
"I knew the base was doing was something through the HAWC. So, I decided to quit that day," he said. "I did it for my overall heath, my children and family."
According to statistics from American Cancer Society, Airman Maltese is not alone in respect to concerns over smoking around children. In the United States, 21 million children, or 35 percent, live in homes where residents or visitors smoke in the home on a regular basis.
About 50 to 75 percent of children in the United States have detectable levels of cotinine, the breakdown product of nicotine, in their blood. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes breathing issues and slows lung growth in their children.
Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, responsible for approximately one of every five deaths (approximately 443,000 people) each year. It is a major risk factor for heart disease, various forms of cancer, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In 2009, approximately 20.6 percent of U.S. adults were current smokers with the highest prevalence among men 23.1 percent compared to 18.3 percent of women.
According to the
American Cancer Society, if you are a pack a day smoker, it costs you approximately $1,825 per year to support your tobacco habit. At one pack a day, you are smoking approximately 7,300 cigarettes per year and are using 487 hours of your life to smoke for every year you continue to smoke. Therefore, tobacco users burn both time and money as they light up each cigarette.
How does tobacco use affect the military? In an Air Force study, tobacco use accounted for 3,573 lost man-years due to sick time, breaks, and other lost duty which is equivalent to an Air Force base, an Army brigade, a Navy carrier or a Marine Corps infantry regiment.
Tobacco's impact on readiness includes a 20 to 50 percent reduction in night vision, significant decrement in tracking longer reaction times and an increase risk of musculoskeletal injuries. For deployed individuals who don't have access to tobacco products, rapid nicotine withdrawal adversely affects cognitive function and visual acuity.
Although tobacco rates are on the decline for both military and civilian populations, 23.6 percent of Air Force active-duty members still use tobacco. Within that figure, JB CHS on the whole is on the top side of the tobacco use average, with approximately 26 percent of its active duty members using tobacco.
While the Smokeout may be over, it's not too late to quit. The HAWC still offers resources for those who want to stop smoking.
"The military is definitely the place to do it, having support from friends and coworkers," said Airman Maltese. "It's also just really wanting it. Having the will to do it and making the conscious decision. Having the dedication instead of making a stab at it every New Year."
If you have ever thought about quitting, there are numerous resources available to help, including monthly tobacco cessation classes at the Health and Wellness Center. Call the HAWC at 963-4007 to enroll in a class. Other sources of assistance include:
· Military and Family Life Consultants: 609-8718
· Military Health Coach:
AFMCWellness.com
· Behavior Health Counselor: 963-6846
· Defense Department sponsored website:
www.ucanquit2.org
· Web-based American Lung Association program:
www.ffsonline.org
· HAWC tobacco coordinator
(Mark Tschampl, 366th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, contributed to this article)