The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County (DOH-Pasco) is encouraging tobacco users in Pasco County to quit tobacco in honor of World No Tobacco Day. The World Health Organization (WHO) sponsors World No Tobacco Day annually, around the world on May 31. This year, WHO has launched a year-long campaign for World No Tobacco Day 2021 – “Commit to Quit.” The campaign is supporting 100 million people worldwide in their attempt to quit tobacco through various initiatives and digital solutions. 

Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and effects a person’s overall health.^[i],[ii]  Quitting smoking is one of the most important steps to improve overall health. We know that being a current or former smoker can increase your risk of severe illness from COVID-19.^[iii] Quitting smoking can add up to 10 years to life expectancy.^[iv]The sooner you quit, the sooner your body can begin to heal.^[v],[vi] 

“Quitting smoking and protecting your overall health has proven to be more crucial these days due to smokers’ increased risks of severe illness from COVID-19,” said Kayla Jones-Willis, Tobacco Prevention Specialist. “Tobacco Free Florida encourages Pasco County residents and community members to learn about the variety of free resources we offer that can help people quit tobacco for good.”  

Most adult cigarette smokers (about two out of three) say that they want to quit smoking.^[vii] Creating a quit plan and using proven-effective resources, like Tobacco Free Florida, can significantly increase the chances of quitting smoking for good.^{[viii],[ix],[x]} Floridians who want to quit smoking on their own terms can still access free tools to get started. They can choose one, choose two, choose as many options as they need, or use them in addition to our Phone, Group and Web Quit services. 

The Tobacco Prevention Program would also like to acknowledge Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in their efforts to maintain their Smoke Free Campus policy. We would like to take this time to encourage anyone who smokes to take the steps on World No Tobacco Day to begin their Quit Season Journey. It’s never too late to make a change, so be the first. 

DOH-Pasco encourages tobacco users in Pasco County who want to quit to talk to their healthcare providers or to seek help from an evidence-based resource, like Tobacco Free Florida’s Quit Your Way program. Floridians can learn more about Tobacco Free Florida’s free tools and services by calling 1-877-U-CAN-NOW or visiting tobaccofreeflorida.com.

About the Florida Department of Health 

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts. 

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @HealthyPasco. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

About Tobacco Free Florida 

The Florida Department of Health’s Tobacco Free Florida campaign is a statewide cessation and prevention campaign funded by Florida’s tobacco settlement fund. Since the program began in 2007, more than 254,000 Floridians have successfully quit using one of Tobacco Free Florida's free tools and services. There are now approximately 451,000 fewer adult smokers in Florida than there was 10 years ago, and the state has saved $17.7 billion in health care costs.^[xi] 

To learn more about Tobacco Free Florida’s Quit Your Way services, visit www.tobaccofreeflorida.com or follow the campaign on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TobaccoFreeFlorida or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tobaccofreefla.

_______________________________

[i] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 Accessed March 8, 2021.

[ii] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 Accessed March 8, 2021.

[iii] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Certain Medical Conditions and Risk for Severe COVID-19 Illness.  [Accessed March 12, 2021]

[iv] Prabhat Jha, M.D., Chinthanie Ramasundarahettige, M.Sc., Victoria Landsman, Ph.D., Brian Rostron, Ph.D., Michael Thun, M.D., Robert N. Anderson, Ph.D., Tim McAfee, M.D., and Richard Peto, F.R.S. N Engl J Med 2013; 368:341-350 January 24, 2013 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsa1211128 Accessed March 8, 2021.

[v] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 Accessed March 8, 2021.

[vi] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004 Accessed March 8, 2021.

[vii] Babb S, Malarcher A, Schauer G, Asman K, Jamal A. Quitting Smoking Among Adults — United States, 2000–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017;65:1457–1464. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6552a1 Accessed March 8, 2021.

[viii] US Public Health Service. Treating tobacco use and dependence: 2008 update. Clinical practice guideline. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, US Public Health Service; 2008. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/clinicians-providers/guidelines-recommendations/tobacco/index.html Accessed March 8, 2021.

[ix] US Public Health Service. Treating tobacco use and dependence: 2008 update. Clinical practice guideline. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, US Public Health Service; 2008. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/clinicians-providers/guidelines-recommendations/tobacco/index.html Accessed March 8, 2021.

[x] Patnode CD, Henderson JT, Thompson JH, Senger CA, Fortmann SP, Whitlock EP. Behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy interventions for tobacco cessation in adults, including pregnant women: a review of reviews for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med 2015;163:608–21 Accessed March 8, 2021.

[xi]Mann, Nathan M, Nonnemaker, James M., Thompson, Jesse. "Smoking-Attributable Health Care Costs in Florida and Potential Health Care Cost Savings Associated with Reductions in Adult Smoking Prevalence." 2016. Accessed March 8, 2021.