KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - In collaboration with Public Health - Seattle & King County, ten local community colleges will host the Great American Smokeout on Thursday, November 21st. While Public Health has provided technical assistance, students at the colleges have poured time and energy into organizing events on their own campuses.
"It's terrific that so many students understand the dangers of tobacco use and are committed to sharing that information with their peers," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County. "Peer influence makes an enormous difference in avoiding unhealthy behaviors such as smoking."
Students, staff, and volunteers will implement a variety of campus activities throughout King County. Each campus will have student volunteers at booths carrying out student outreach, completing surveys, and giving away "quit kits" and other prevention materials throughout the day.
The following King County colleges will be hosting the events Thursday, November 21st. Activities will take place on these campuses between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
- Bellevue Community College
- Cascadia Community College, Bothell
- Green River Community College, Auburn
- Highline Community College, Des Moines
- Lake Washington Technical College, Kirkland
- North Seattle Community College
- Renton Technical College
- Seattle Central Community College
- Shoreline Community College
- South Seattle Community College
Tobacco 101: Who's being smoked in Washington?
Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, homicide, and suicides combined - and thousands more die from other tobacco-related causes - such as fires caused by smoking (more than 1,000 deaths/year nationwide) and smokeless tobacco use.
The following rates are from Washington State:
- 133,000 currently under the age 18 in Washington will ultimately die prematurely from smoking
- 7,000 adults die each year from their own smoking
- Over 710 adults, children, & babies die each year from secondhand smoke and smoking while pregnant
Other facts about tobacco smoking:
- $9.7 billion is spent annually by the tobacco industry nationwide to market tobacco products
- The estimated portion spent for Washington marketing each year is $202 million
- Over 30% of adults aged 18-24 are smokers. This age group has the highest percentage of smokers. The overall rate of smokers in WA is currently about 19%.
- 28% of college smokers started after they entered college.
- 85% of college smokers use Marlboro, Newport, or Camel cigarettes- the most heavily advertised brands.
For more information about Public Health's Tobacco Prevention Program, contact them by phone at (206) 296-7613 or visit: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/tobacco.
Washington State runs a program to help people stop smoking: (877) 290-STOP (877-290-7867) or http://www.quitline.com
This year is the 26th annual Great American Smokeout. The Great American Smokeout is nationally recognized as an education platform and is a means to encourage smokers to quit for a lifetime by starting with just one day. For more information about the Great American Smokeout, please visit American Cancer Society's website: http://www.cancer.org
Other information on tobacco may be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org.
