Editor’s Note: Injury prevention and wellness handouts are an effective (and inexpensive) way to educate and motivate employees to use good work practices and take care of their bodies.
Scroll to the bottom of this post for the free Wellness Handout PDF file.
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Smoking Cessation
Approximately 46 million people in the United States smoke cigarettes.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths, accounting for about 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S. every year.
The key word here is preventable – think prevention!
Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking
Some health benefits of quitting smoking are immediate:
- Heart rate and blood pressure, which are abnormally high while smoking, begin to return to normal.
- Within a few hours, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood begins to decline. (Carbon monoxide reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.)
- Within a few weeks, people who quit smoking have improved circulation, produce less phlegm, and don’t cough or wheeze as often.
- Within several months of quitting, people can expect substantial improvements in lung function
- In addition, people who quit smoking will have an improved sense of smell, and food will taste better.
Long term health benefits of quitting smoking:
Quitting smoking reduces the risk of cancer and other diseases, such as heart disease and COPD:
- Quitting at age 30: Studies have shown that smokers who quit at about age 30 reduce their chance of dying prematurely from smoking-related diseases by more than 90 percent.
- Quitting at age 50: People who quit at about age 50 reduce their risk of dying prematurely by 50 percent compared with those who continue to smoke.
- Quitting at age 60: Even people who quit at about age 60 or older live longer than those who continue to smoke.
Free Handout: Smoking Cessation
Help your employees quit smoking!
Here’s a free smoking cessation handout to help you help them. Click the link below to open a PDF copy:
