From: Kylee Jones
Columbus
May is here, and it is a month to celebrate mothers all over the world and to advocate for women’s health.
Unfortunately, tobacco use among women remains a serious problem: In Indiana, nearly 1 in 5 women smoke.
Now more than ever, focus should be placed on helping women quit smoking. Smoking harms and kills both men and women, but women face unique and even greater health risks from smoking than men. The U.S. Surgeon General reported that women who smoke are now as likely as men to die from many smoking-caused diseases.
Women who are mothers play an important role in protecting their children from secondhand smoke and reduce the risk of smoke-caused health problems.
Mothers can protect their child from secondhand smoke by:
— Keeping a smoke-free home and car
— Don’t let their child visit any places where smoking is allowed
— Educate their child about the dangers of cigarette smoking, including e-cigarettes
The best Mother’s Day gift a woman can give to herself and her family is a smoke-free life. The Indiana Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) offers free, evidence-based help to tobacco users to quit and stay quit. Visit QuitNowIndiana.com to find out more.
