Education campaign to help Montanans quit smoking

Continuing with the success of last year’s landmark national tobacco education campaign, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is airing a second series of ads in 2014 featuring real people who are living with the effects of smoking-related diseases. The newest ads in the “Tips from Former Smokers” campaign tell the story of how real people’s lives were changed forever due to their smoking. In Montana, 1400 residents die every year from smoking-related diseases. The new ads will air July through September.

“These ads tell the stories of brave people struggling with the health consequences of smoking-related diseases --- the kinds of smoking-related diseases doctors see every day,” said Tim McAfee, M.D., M.P.H, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. “The former smokers in these ads give voice to the more than 16 million Americans who are suffering from smoking-related chronic dis-eases each and every day.”

The ads feature smoking-related health conditions that people don’t commonly associate with cigarette use—including gum disease, pre-term birth, and complications associated with HIV—and continue to emphasize more common conditions, like cancer. They encourage smokers to call 1-800-QUIT NOW, a toll-free number to access free quitting support across the country, or visit http://www.cdc.gov/tips to view the personal stories from the campaign and for free help quitting.

“These ads are effective in bringing to life the devastating effects of smoking, helping people quit and never start,” says Mary Lou Broadbrooks. “As a County Health Nurse, I know all too well the terrible toll of smoking. Phillips County Coalition for Healthy Choices is committed to helping Montanans know the reality of smoking-related disease and death – and to prevent these realities from happening to them.”

The Tips campaign serves as an important counter to the more than $8.3 billion spent annually by the tobacco industry to make cigarettes more attractive and more affordable — particularly to youth and young adults.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. It kills about 480,000 Americans each year. For every person who dies from a smoking-related disease, about 30 more people suffer at least one serious illness from smoking. Nearly 70% of smokers say they want to quit. This campaign will provide them with information and resources to do so. For more information on the campaign, including profiles of the former smokers, links to the ads, and free quit help, visit http://www.cdc.gov/tips.