IN BRIEF: UNLV School of Nursing voices support for national Smokeout

November 15, 2010 by The Rebel Yell 

The UNLV School of Nursing is reaching out to encourage Las Vegas residents to participate in the Great American Smokeout Nov. 18, an event that calls on the nation’s estimated 45 million smokers to quit for the day or pledge to smoke less.

Smoking is responsible for one in three cancer deaths and one in five deaths from all causes.

Organizers of the effort say that in order to successfully quit, current smokers must be aware of the associated health benefits of cessation.

According to the American Cancer Society, within just minutes of smoking their last cigarette, a smoker’s body starts restoring health.

Twenty minutes after quitting, heart rate and blood pressure start to return to normal.

Twelve hours after quitting, carbon monoxide levels in the bloodstream return to normal.

Two weeks to three months after quitting, circulation and lung function start to improve.

One to nine months after quitting, coughing and shortness of breath decrease and the risk of a lung infection is reduced.

One year after quitting, the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

Recognizing that many smokers pick up the habit during their youth, a team from UNLV’s Student Health Center is working with local students and staff to draft campus policies and introduce tobacco cessation outreach and programming on Southern Nevada’s college campuses, in a project called Tobacco Free UNLV.

UNLV Nursing encourages smokers to talk with a health are provider. Medications are available based on a smoker’s habits that can help him or her quit.

Smokers are urged to find a cessation support program, set realistic goals includinga quit date, think ahead to modify situations that could lead to smoking, find a substitute for the habit, begin an exercise program and be persistent in the efforts they make.

ON THE WEB:
Tobacco Free UNLV: tobaccofreeunlv.com