By Sarah Stone

POLL: Butt out for Weedless Wednesday

Jan 22, 2014 | 12:24 PM

If you’re a smoker and need that extra push to quit, today would be a great start—Weedless Wednesday.

Weedless Wednesday expanded to an entire National Non-Smoking Week to encourage people to quit smoking.

To help promote a healthy tobacco-free lifestyle, the health region has been involved in a Tobacco Reduction Strategy since 2008, explained health promotions co-ordinator with the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region (PAPHR) Bill Bray.

“What we’re trying to do is educate our frontline workers, primarily, to provide brief intervention services to people. So, we screen everybody for tobacco use when they come under our care and then provide them with some potential options, ask them if they’re interested in quitting and ask them if they’re interested in quitting, and you know you know try to encourage them to stop smoking,” Bray said.

Bray said each person has a slightly different relationship with tobacco use and some are motivated for reasons that could be related to stress or a number of other conditions.

Safety first

Safety concerns and tips surrounding discarded needles in P.A.

6h ago

Liquor stores must change hours

Prince Albert limits liquor store hours

9h ago

skin care +

LUXE22 Clinic : Elevating Beauty with Expert Treatments

10h ago

The percentage of tobacco users in the PAPHR are ‘slightly higher’ than the provincial average. According to statistics from October 2013, 18.5 per cent of population over 15 years of age are smokers. This is higher than the national average of 16.1 per cent in the same age category.

“There’s a relationship between economic conditions and smoking rates; there tends to be higher rates of smoking amongst lower economic groups, and we have relatively disproportionate low-income families in our region,” he said.

The long-term health effects of tobacco use include lung cancer, emphysema, and heart, pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions, among many others.

Bray encourages those who smoke and want to quit and require assistance, to contact Addictions Services or a new partner that can help.

“Some of our local pharmacists have training in cessation as well and people filling prescriptions and things like this, just need to ask their pharmacy or pharmacist if they would like to have some support while they’re planning to quit.”

sstone@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahstone84