Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate moms for who they are and all of the wonderful things they do. It is also a great time for moms to remember the important role they play in influencing the choices their kids make regarding tobacco use.
Unfortunately, tobacco use among women remains a serious problem: More than 21 million women currently smoke, an estimated 173,000 women die every year from smoking and more than 86,000 kids have already lost their mom to smoking.
In Kentucky, about 399,000 women smoke, and about one in four pregnant women smoke. It is estimated that 1,400 Kentucky kids have already lost their mother to smoking, and 190 kids each year will lose their mom.
These are sad facts.
Moms who smoke can celebrate Mother’s Day by quitting and all moms, whether or not they smoke, can celebrate Mother’s Day by taking a number of actions to protect their kids from becoming smokers.
How can moms keep their children from smoking?
— As a parent, you are one of the most important persons in a child’s life, especially when it comes to cigarettes. You can make a big difference in the choices your kids make.
— If you smoke, quit. If you can’t quit, keep trying. Children from families who smoke are twice as likely to become smokers themselves, but parents who try to quit and talk to their kids about how addictive smoking is, why they want to quit and how important it is to never start, can beat those odds.
— Maintain a totally smoke-free home and car (even if you smoke).
— Educate your child about the dangers of cigarette smoking.
— Talk about addiction and how hard it is to quit smoking.
— Emphasize the immediate health effects.
— Emphasize the effects of smoking on physical appearance.
— Talk to your kids about how tobacco companies target them by trying to make tobacco use seem cool so they can addict them as customers for life
— Listen to what your child says and does about smoking and encourage your child when he/she makes good choices.
— Ask your child about his/her friends and their attitudes toward smoking. Discuss peer pressure and how to deal with it effectively.
— Clear up any misunderstandings your child might have about smoking. For example, everybody is not doing it, getting hooked can happen very quickly and quitting is very difficult.
— Make sure your kids’ schools have strong and well-enforced no-smoking rules for kids and staff.
— Support federal, state and local tobacco-prevention efforts like higher tobacco taxes, funding for tobacco prevention programs, and smoke-free laws.
If you are looking for assistance with becoming a nonsmoker, please contact the Health Department at 744-4482 or visit the website at www.clarkhealthdept.org for more information on our services.
The Health Department offers the Cooper Clayton Method to Stop Smoking class with the next class starting on July 10.
There is a new online tool for Kentucky residents called Quit Now Kentucky, www.quitnowkentucky.org, that offers a free online cessation program, health facts and information on the 1-800-QUIT-NOW telephone line
Information in this article is from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
