Nola Sizemore

Staff Writer

With nearly 4,500 Kentuckians being diagnosed with lung cancer and more than 3,500 deaths this year, the American Cancer Society will mark its 37th Great American Smokeout on Nov. 15 by encouraging smokers to quit and celebrate more birthdays.

“What the Great American Smokeout does is raise awareness to the issue of smoking and lung cancer, along with providing information and assistance to help people quit,” said Eric Walker, associate director for mission support, communications and marketing. “According to an American Cancer Society report, people who quit at any age live longer than people who continue to smoke.”

Smokers who wish to quit may call the American Cancer Society for free telephone coaching at 1-800-227-2345 for tobacco cessation and coaching services that can help increase their chances of quitting for good. The society also has online tools at www.cancer.org/Smokeout, such as a crave button and a quit clock to help smokers plan towards kicking the habit for good.

“Quitting smoking is an important step towards staying well and creating a world with more birthdays,” said Charlotte Brewer, health initiatives representative in the American Cancer Society’s Somerset office. “The American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout is a great first step towards quitting or making a plan to quit and the society can help smokers through a variety of resources including personalized telephone coaching by trained specialists.”

Important facts about tobacco use:

*Tobacco use remains the world’s most preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S.

*Cigarette smoking is responsible for nearly one in five deaths, or about 443,000 premature deaths each year.

*Thirty percent of cancer deaths, including 80 percent of lung cancer deaths, can be attributed to smoking.

*Smoking accounts for more than $193 billion in health care expenditures and productivity losses annually.

Reach Nola Sizemore at 606-573-4510 or at nsizemore@heartlandpublications.com