Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes

[h=1]Smoking Cessation Training[/h]
Studies have shown that advice and support from professional consultants improve the quit rates of smokers. Even very brief (1min) advice from physicians to stop smoking will increase the success of a quit attempt by 2%.


To help interested professionals effectively deliver smoking cessation therapy, hence improving the welfare of patients and clients, the Health Promotion Board has developed the training framework as follows:



For Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) facilitators (e.g. HR managers) who would like to take up courses on implementing a workplace smoking control program, look up the Health@Work calendar for the latest information.<map id="Map" name="Map" title="Smoke Free Living"></map>



Tags:Smoking, training, Level 1, CQSC, Continuing education, CE

http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/7516

dunhill and kopi gao is the bestest, imo
quit smoking some 7 years back to save some money

Where is the option for digital? Most of the cause of death by analogues are the 5000 to 6000 chemicals that are not present in digital. Why the government banned it in Singapore is a mystery.

Smoking and boozing didn't stop him from living to a ripe old age.

It's amazing how long your life can be extended when the best doctors are at your beck and call, and you don't have to pick cardboard boxes for a living.

Second Hand Smoke and Children


Secondhand smoke is a combination of the smoke from a burning cigarette and the smoke exhaled by a smoker. Also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), it can be recognized easily by its distinctive odor. ETS contaminates the air and is retained in clothing, hair, curtains, and furniture. Many people find ETS unpleasant, annoying, and irritating to the eyes and nose. More importantly, it represents a dangerous health hazard. Over 4,000 different chemicals have been identified in ETS, and at least 43 of these chemicals cause cancer.

Is exposure to ETS common?

Approximately 26 percent of adults in the United States currently smoke cigarettes, and 50 to 67 percent of children under five live in homes with at least one adult smoker.

Smoke’s effect on…

The fetus and newborn

Maternal, fetal, and placental blood flow change when pregnant women smoke, although the long-term health effects of these changes are not known. Some studies suggest that smoking during pregnancy causes birth defects such as cleft lip or palate. Smoking mothers produce less milk, and their babies have a lower birth weight. Maternal smoking also is associated with neonatal death from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the major cause of death in infants between one month and one year old.

Children’s lungs and respiratory tracts

Exposure to ETS decreases lung efficiency and impairs lung function in children of all ages. It increases both the frequency and severity of childhood asthma. Secondhand smoke can aggravate sinusitis, rhinitis, cystic fibrosis, and chronic respiratory problems such as cough and postnasal drip. It also increases the number of children’s colds and sore throats. In children under two, ETS exposure increases the likelihood of bronchitis and pneumonia. In fact, a 1992 study by the Environmental Protection Agency says ETS causes 150,000 – 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections each year in infants and children under 18 months old. These illnesses result in as many as 15,000 hospitalizations. Children of parents who smoke half a pack a day or more are at nearly double the risk of hospitalization for a respiratory illness.

The ears

Exposure to ETS increases both the number of ear infections a child will experience, and the duration of the illness. Inhaled smoke irritates the eustachian tube, which connects the back of the nose with the middle ear. This causes swelling and obstruction which interferes with pressure equalization in the middle ear, leading to pain, fluid and infection. Ear infections and middle ear fluid are the most common cause of children’s hearing loss. When they do not respond to medical treatment, the surgical insertion of tubes into the ears is often required.
Secondhand smoke puts teenagers at a higher risk for low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss that is directly related to level of exposure, and most affected individuals are unaware of the hearing loss.

The brain

Children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to suffer behavioral problems such as hyperactivity than children of non-smoking mothers. Modest impairment in school performance and intellectual achievement has also been demonstrated.

Who is at risk?

Although ETS is dangerous to everyone, fetuses, infants, and children are at most risk because it can damage developing organs, such as the lungs and brain.

Secondhand smoke causes cancer

You have read how ETS harms the development of your child, but did you know that your risk of developing cancer from ETS is about 100 times greater than from outdoor cancer-causing pollutants? Did you know that ETS causes more than 3,000 non-smokers to die of lung cancer each year? While these facts are alarming for everyone, you can stop your child’s exposure to secondhand smoke right now.

What can you do?

• If you smoke, stop now. Consult your physician for help, if needed. There are many new pharmaceutical products available to help you quit.
• If you have household members who smoke, help them stop. If it is not possible to stop their smoking, do not allow them to smoke in your home or near your children.
• Do not smoke or allow smoking in your car.
• Be certain that your children’s schools and day-care facilities are smoke-free.
Acknowledgment to the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology for contributions to this content.

Updated 12/10


http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/Second-Hand-Smoke-and-Children.cfm

[h=1]Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke[/h]
Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer.[SUP]1,2[/SUP]
There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).[SUP]1[/SUP] Some of the health conditions caused by secondhand smoke in adults include heart disease and lung cancer.[SUP]1[/SUP]
[h=3]Secondhand Smoke Causes Heart Disease[/h]Exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and can cause coronary heart disease.[SUP]1,3[/SUP]

• Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 46,000 premature deaths from heart disease each year in the United States among nonsmokers.[SUP]4[/SUP]
• Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25–30%.[SUP]1[/SUP]

Breathing secondhand smoke can have immediate adverse effects on your blood and blood vessels, increasing the risk of having a heart attack.[SUP]1,2[/SUP]

• Breathing secondhand smoke interferes with the normal functioning of the heart, blood, and vascular systems in ways that increase the risk of having a heart attack.
• Even brief secondhand smoke exposure can damage the lining of blood vessels and cause your blood platelets to become stickier. These changes can cause a deadly heart attack.

People who already have heart disease are at especially high risk of suffering adverse effects from breathing secondhand smoke and should take special precautions to avoid even brief exposures.[SUP]1[/SUP]
[h=3]Secondhand Smoke Causes Lung Cancer[/h]Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in adults who themselves have never smoked.[SUP]1[/SUP]

• Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing lung cancer by 20–30%.[SUP]1[/SUP]
• Secondhand smoke causes an estimated 3,400 lung cancer deaths among U.S. nonsmokers each year.[SUP]4,5[/SUP]

Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are inhaling many of the same cancer-causing substances and poisons as smokers.[SUP]1,2[/SUP]

• Secondhand smoke contains about 70 cancer-causing chemicals.
• Even brief secondhand smoke exposure can damage cells in ways that set the cancer process in motion.
• As with active smoking, the longer the duration and the higher the level of exposure to secondhand smoke, the greater the risk of developing lung cancer.

[h=3]Secondhand Smoke Causes SIDS[/h]SIDS is the sudden, unexplained, unexpected death of an infant in the first year of life. SIDS is the leading cause of death in otherwise healthy infants.[SUP]6[/SUP] Secondhand smoke increases the risk for SIDS.[SUP]1[/SUP]

• Smoking by women during pregnancy increases the risk for SIDS.[SUP]7[/SUP]
• Infants who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are also at greater risk for SIDS.[SUP]1[/SUP]
• Chemicals in secondhand smoke appear to affect the brain in ways that interfere with its regulation of infants' breathing.[SUP]1[/SUP]
• Infants who die from SIDS have higher concentrations of nicotine in their lungs and higher levels of cotinine (a biological marker for secondhand smoke exposure) than infants who die from other causes.[SUP]1[/SUP]

Parents can help protect their babies from SIDS by taking the following three actions:[SUP]8[/SUP]

• Do not smoke when pregnant.
• Do not smoke in the home or around the baby.
• Put the baby down to sleep on its back.

[h=3]Secondhand Smoke and Children[/h]Secondhand smoke can cause serious health problems in children.[SUP]9[/SUP]

• Studies show that older children whose parents smoke get sick more often. Their lungs grow less than children who do not breathe secondhand smoke, and they get more bronchitis and pneumonia.
• Wheezing and coughing are more common in children who breathe secondhand smoke.
• Secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack in a child. Children with asthma who are around secondhand smoke have more severe and frequent asthma attacks. A severe asthma attack can put a child's life in danger.
• Children whose parents smoke around them get more ear infections. They also have fluid in their ears more often and have more operations to put in ear tubes for drainage.

Parents can help protect their children from secondhand smoke by taking the following actions:[SUP]9[/SUP]

• Do not allow anyone to smoke near your child.
• Do not smoke or allow others to smoke in your home or car. Opening a window does not protect your children from smoke.
• Use a smoke-free day care center.
• Do not take your child to restaurants or other indoor public places that allow smoking.
• Teach children to stay away from secondhand smoke.

[h=3]References[/h]

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006 [accessed 2013 June 10].
2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2013 June 10].
3. Institute of Medicine. Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the Evidence [<acronym title="Portable Document Format">PDF</acronym>–707.47 KB]. Washington: National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, 2009 [accessed 2013 June 10].
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses—United States, 2000–2004. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2008;57(45):1226–8 [accessed 2013 June 10].
5. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2013 . [<acronym title="Portable Document Format">PDF</acronym>–1.22 MB] Atlanta: American Cancer Society, 2013 [accessed 2013 Feb 10].
6. American Academy of Pediatrics, Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The Changing Concept of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Diagnostic Coding Shifts; Controversies Regarding the Sleeping Environment; and New Variables to Consider in Reducing Risk. Pediatrics 2005;116(5):1245–55 [cited 2013 June 10].
7. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004 [accessed 2013 June 10].
8. National Institutes of Health. Safe Sleep for Your Baby: Ten Ways to Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) . Rockville (MD): National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2003 [cited 2013 June 10].
9. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General: Secondhand Smoke: What It Means To You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006 [accessed 2013 June 10].

[h=3]For Further Information[/h]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 1-800-CDC-INFO

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/

Smoking and Asthma

Smoking is unhealthy for everyone, but especially for someone with asthma. The lungs of a smoker, with or without asthma, may not work as well as they should. The person might cough, wheeze, and have shortness of breath. Smoking causes the airways to become swollen, narrow, and filled with sticky mucus — the same problems that cause breathing trouble in people with asthma. For this reason, a smoker who has asthma is more likely to have more frequent and severe flare-ups.

Being a smoker is an obvious risk, but just being around people who smoke — and breathing in secondhand smoke — can cause problems, too. Parents can help kids and teens with asthma by protecting them from the effects of tobacco smoke.

The Dangers of Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand smoke is a well-known asthma trigger. If you smoke, consider quitting, especially if your child has asthma. Secondhand smoke can damage the lungs, leading to long-term breathing problems or worsening existing breathing problems.

Kids with asthma who live in households with smokers:

• may have flare-ups more often
• are more likely to have to go the emergency department with severe asthma flare-ups
• are more likely to miss school because of their asthma
• must take more asthma medicine
• have asthma that's harder to control, even with medication

Even kids who don't have asthma are at risk of problems if their parents smoke. These kids are more likely to get upper respiratory infections, middle ear infections, and even pneumonia. Just being exposed to smoke from 10 cigarettes per day may put kids at risk of developing asthma, even if they've never had any breathing problems before.
Cigarette smoke can also get absorbed into upholstery, clothing, and carpeting, leaving carcinogens that can't be washed away with soap and water. Kids who touch, mouth, play on, or breathe near contaminated surfaces may develop breathing problems due to this kind of "thirdhand" smoke.

And here's the best reason of all to quit smoking: Children whose parents smoke are more likely to smoke themselves when they get older.

You don't have to quit on your own. Talk to your doctor about possible strategies — from support groups to medication. If you do continue smoking, don't smoke in the house or car.


Exposure to Smoke Outside the Home

Even if no one in your household smokes, kids will still encounter secondhand smoke. Try to help them avoid it as much as possible.

If your child has asthma, let friends, relatives, and caregivers know that tobacco smoke may cause an asthma flare-up. To protect your child from having to breathe in smoke:

• Don't allow guests to smoke in your house or car.
• Avoid smoky restaurants and parties. Choosing the nonsmoking section is not adequate protection.
• Ask friends and relatives not to smoke around your child.
• Choose caregivers who don't smoke or, if they do, ask them not to smoke around your child.
• Encourage family members who smoke to quit.

Sending an Antismoking Message

No one wants their child to start smoking, but it's especially important to discourage this behavior in kids who have asthma. If your child has asthma, smoking may actually undo the effect of any controller medication. Your child also may need to use rescue medications more often, visit the doctor or the emergency department more often, and miss school more often because of flare-ups.
Kids with asthma who smoke may sleep less at night and be less able to participate in sports or other physical activities. And of course, there are the long-term health consequences, such as heart disease, emphysema, and cancer.

Give your child tips on how to say no if offered a cigarette. To lay the groundwork for that moment:

• Teach your child the facts about smoking and the short- and long-term damage it can do.
• Talk about how expensive cigarettes and other tobacco products are.
• Discuss how smoking gives people bad breath, smelly clothes, and yellow teeth.
• Tell your child he or she isn't allowed to smoke.

If your child already smokes, you're not alone. Almost 1.5 million 11- to 17-year-olds start smoking each year. Nearly half of them will become regular smokers. In fact, 90% of smokers start before they're 21.

Still, despite the obvious risks, your child may not respond to an antismoking message. Though the long-term consequences are clear, preteens and teens often feel invincible.

Instead, discuss the immediate consequences: Smoking will cause more asthma flare-ups and make asthma more difficult to control. When asthma isn't controlled, it gets in the way of what kids want to do, such as playing sports or going out with friends.

Reviewed by: Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD
Date reviewed: January 2014

http://kidshealth.org/parent/asthma_center/preventing_flareups/smoking_asthma.html

Smoking Control Programmes for Adults

Smoking harms both smokers and non-smokers. Hence, it takes the combined efforts of everyone in the healthcare industry, the workplace and the community to tackle smoking issues. Find out more about the multi-pronged approach used by HPB to help smokers kick the habit and quit smoking and prevent the public from picking up smoking.


The National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) was formed to develop and implement smoking control programmes to reduce the smoking rates in Singapore. The NTCP utilises a multi-pronged approach to combat smoking. Strategies include taxation, tobacco control legislation, public education, collaborative partnerships and provision of smoking cessation services to combat smoking by reducing the supply and demand of tobacco.

Tobacco taxation

The Health Promotion Board plays an active role in advocating and recommending tobacco taxation strategies, and works in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance on a regular basis. Taxation has been shown to be a cost effective strategy to reduce smoking prevalence rates. A study by the World Bank showed that for every 10% increase in the real inflation adjusted price, there will be a decrease in the consumption of cigarettes by 2% - 8%. Local data has shown that increasing cigarette prices correspond to a decreasing per capita consumption.
Tobacco tax has increased regularly since 1987 to discourage non-smokers from picking up the smoking habit, and to encourage current smokers to stop or smoke less. The current cigarette tax is $0.352 per stick of 1g or below, and an additional $0.352 per stick of 1g for each additional 1g or part thereof.

Tobacco control legislation

Legislative measures, started in the early 1970s, undergo regular reviews to incorporate the best international practices, as well as to keep up with social behaviour trends among Singaporeans. The two main legislation instruments are:
The Smoking (Control of Advertisements and Sale of Tobacco) Act (enforced by the Health Sciences Authority), which includes:

• Prohibiting tobacco advertisements and promotion.
• Mandatory rotation of graphic health warnings on tobacco products.
• Limiting the tar and nicotine levels of cigarettes sold locally.
• Prohibiting the use of tobacco products by persons below 18 years of age.
• Prohibiting the sale/supply of tobacco to these under-aged youths.

In July 2010, the Parliament passed the Amendment Bill to the Smoking (Control of Advertisements and Sale of Tobacco) Act which was subsequently renamed as the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act. The proposed amendments aim to strengthen Singapore s tobacco control efforts and include:

1. Removing an exemption clause that currently allows tobacco companies to be acknowledged for sponsoring events;
2. Empowering Minister to prohibit the import and sale of emerging tobacco products;
3. Expanding the scope of the Smoking (CAST) Act to comprehensively cover different forms of tobacco products, including tobacco derivatives and substitutes not covered under the Medicines Act for medicinal purposes;
4. Extending health warning labelling to the outside packaging of tobacco products; and
5. Prohibiting misleading labelling on tobacco products, such as mild , lights or low tar.

2. The Prohibition on Smoking in Certain Places Act (enforced by the National Environment Agency) prohibits smoking in public places. To date, the Act has been extended progressively to include all public transport, air-conditioned indoor workplaces and restaurants, non-air-conditioned indoor places; hospitals and educational facilities, pubs and bars; and some outdoor places.
Places under the ambit of the smoking ban include:

• Public transport, clinics, hospitals, maternity homes, nursing homes.
• Public libraries, libraries in institutions of higher learning, public museums, art galleries, government workplaces.
• Rooms used for public functions, public areas in banks, indoor sports stadia, bowling alleys, billiards saloons, gymnasiums, aerobic and fitness centres, fast food centres, air-conditioned restaurants, mini supermarkets, supermarkets, departmental stores, coffee shops and hawker centres.
• All air-conditioned workplaces, Changi International Airport, all air-conditioned shopping centres, public queues, public toilets, swimming pools, stadia and pedestrian underpasses.
• All schools, junior colleges, polytechnics, training institutes, air-conditioned and enclosed areas in Universities.
• Air-conditioned and enclosed areas in private clubs, and air-conditioned shops in town centres, hotels and petrol stations.
• All hawker centres, coffee shops and al fresco eating establishments.
• All entertainment outlets, including pubs, bars, discos and lounges.

The smoking ban has recently been further extended in January 2009 to include non air-conditioned indoor places such as factories, underground and multi-storey carparks; and some outdoor places such as children's playgrounds, exercise areas, markets, ferry terminals and jetties.

Public education

Public education is intended for prevention of initiation of smoking, as well as for provision of information to both smokers and non-smokers.
HPB works with community organisations and organises roadshows with Quit Advisors on-site to provide advice to both smokers and non-smokers. Efforts to raise awareness of smoking-related issues among the general public also include the annual month-long smoking control campaign, held in conjunction with World No Tobacco Day on 31st May. On this day, through HPB s efforts, many tobacco retailers cease sales of cigarettes and cigars in an extraordinary show of support. Some of the past campaigns include the Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COLD) campaign held in May 2008 and the hard hitting Oral Cancer campaign, which was adapted from Australia, in 2007.
Extending beyond public education, HPB has also developed programmes targeted at specific subgroups of at-risk adults.
To curb the increasing trend of smoking among young women (18-29 years), HPB launched Fresh Air For Women, in August 2004. This on-going programme provides women smokers with the relevant information and social support network to help them quit smoking. Adopting an integrated approach, this programme incorporates marketing, public relations and partnerships to reach the young women with educational, motivational and empowerment messages.
To tackle the smoking rates among the Malay community, HPB partners with mosques and Malay/Muslim organisations to implement customised educational initiatives and intervention programs. An example of a programme that weaves in religious and cultural practices is the Muharram Challenge, which is an intensive one-month programme to encourage Malay smokers to quit smoking at the start of the Muslim calendar year.

Partnerships

Partnerships are key to the successful implementation of HPB s programmes. HPB actively engages educational institutions, private workplaces, the uniformed groups, healthcare professionals, youth organisations, community and religious groups, and parents, to promote a smoke-free lifestyle.
Healthcare professionals are a major partnership group for HPB. Evidence-based programmes include hospital in-patient services that offer bedside brief advice to patients who are smokers. HPB provides smoking cessation counselling to women smokers attending antenatal and postnatal clinics at Singapore s dedicated women s and children s public hospitals.
HPB also trains pharmacists, General Practitioners, optometrists and dentists to provide opportunistic smoking cessation advice to patients. Capacity building for smoking cessation counselling is conducted through various training courses such as the Certification for Quit Smoking Consultants (CQSC) Program, launched in 2005. The CQSC course aims to enhance and maintain therapy standards among HPB s service providers and healthcare partners.
Workplaces are excellent platforms to develop comprehensive and sustainable health promotion programmes to address issues affecting the health and health behaviours of the working population. HPB provides consultancies to help workplaces set-up workplace smoking cessation programs. Training is conducted regularly to equip health promotion facilitators with advocacy skills to secure management buy-in and programme planning skills to implement in-house cessation interventions and year-long educational activities.
In addition, HPB also works with the various uniformed groups to implement smoking control programmes. Via these partners, HPB has put in place several measures such as partial smoking bans within army camps, health awareness talks and smoking cessation services.

Provision of smoking cessation services

One of the key strategies of the NTCP is to offer smoking cessation services that are affordable and accessible to smokers.
Since the 1990s, smoking cessation services have been integrated into the primary healthcare settings such as the hospitals and polyclinics. These services are also now available in non-governmental organisations such as the Singapore Cancer Society, Singapore Heart Foundation, Youngberg Wellness Centre and retail pharmacy chains, providing a wide network of accessible smoking cessation services for smokers.
HPB also manages a QuitLine (1800 438-2000) to provide personalised advice by trained Quit Advisors on how to quit smoking. Through this toll-free hotline, the public can also request for free self-help print resources to be mailed to them.

http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/programmes-article/2490

Smoking Control Programmes for Youth

To further reduce the prevalence of smoking in Singapore, it is critical to prevent the initiation of smoking among the young. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) conceptualises and coordinates comprehensive, evidence-based and innovative programmes to establish non-smoking as the desired social norm among youth in Singapore.


Smoking is an addictive behaviour which is mostly picked up during adolescence. The prevalence of smoking on at least one day in past 30 days declined from 11% in 2000 to 9% in 2006 to 6% in 2009. Youth pick up smoking easily, for example due to peer influence or simply out of curiosity.
HPB implements a variety of tobacco control programmes for children, teenagers and youth. Besides targeting the general youth population, programmes are also tailored to suit specific youth groups. In addition, teachers, parents and counsellors are engaged to help youth lead smoke-free lives.

Targeting the general youth population

Educational activities in schools

HPB organises a variety of activities aimed at raising youth's awareness about benefits of leading a tobacco-free lifestyle, dispelling common misconceptions of smoking (e.g. I can quit smoking anytime; Smoking helps me to lose weight, etc) and equipping youth with life skills (e.g. self-esteem, decision-making) to refuse cigarette offers.
Interactive programmes such as skits, Too Tuff To Puff Sports Programme and ‘Live It Up’ tobacco prevention module are some examples of the school-based initiatives coordinated for youth studying in pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools, pre-universities and Institutions of Higher Learning.
HPB also works with youth groups to develop and implement creative initiatives to promote a tobacco-free lifestyle among their peers. This includes programmes under the Youth Advolution for Health (YAH) Programme*. A signature event under the YAH Programme is the commemoration of World No Tobacco Day.

Empowering teachers, youth workers, counsellors and parents

HPB also engages teachers, youth workers, counsellors and parents in promoting a smoke-free lifestyle among the young. Regular workshops are conducted to keep them updated on youth smoking issues and equip them with skills to discuss related issues to help youth lead a smoke-free lifestyle.
HPB also arranges for parenting workshops, entitled ‘Parents, You Can Make A Difference: Raising Smoke-Free Teens’, at FSCs and schools.

Targeting at-risk youth

HPB adopts a targeted approach by collaborating with schools, Family Service Centres (FSCs) and various youth and public organisations to hold activities to help at-risk youth embrace a smoke-free lifestyle. Activities include social etiquette-cum-grooming courses and soccer clinics where smoking control education is presented in refreshing ways.
HPB also organises training sessions for youth facilitators and counsellors who work with at-risk youth, to equip them with knowledge and skills to help the young stay away from tobacco.
Smoking cessation services are available for youth smokers in schools and most polyclinics. HPB trains teachers or counsellors to equip them with knowledge and skills to help students who smoke to kick the habit.
Face-to-face smoking cessation counselling is supplemented by a web-based smoking cessation programme, available at www.breakfree.sg. This programme will provide additional online guidance and support for today s net-savvy youth.

Encouraging positive parental role modelling

Parental smoking can result in children picking up smoking. The Student Health Survey 2009 conducted by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) showed that 50% of youth smokers had at least one parent who smoked. Similarly, a study by researchers at Dartmouth College revealed that children with parents who smoked were 4 times more likely to purchase cigarettes, as compared to children with non-smoker parents.
Since 2009, HPB has stepped up programmes to encourage smoker parents to kick the habit. These include promoting positive parental role modelling and engaging healthcare professionals to reiterate to parents the importance of being tobacco-free.

Partnering youth-centric partners

HPB is always seeking to work with relevant partners to incorporate tobacco-control messages in their premises, products, programmes or events. If you have a proposal to share with us, please contact Miss Diana Sim at [email protected]

Prohibition of under-aged smoking

Youth below the age of 18 years are prohibited by law to smoke or purchase any tobacco products. HPB works with the Tobacco Regulation Unit, Health Sciences Authority to put in place restrictions and develop resources to enable retailers to refuse sale of tobacco products to youth below 18 years of age.

Leveraging on youth-centric media

Non-traditional and youth-centric media such as internet blogs, websites, radio, ZoCards and youth magazines are extensively used to reach out to the young to promote a tobacco-free lifestyle.

http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/programmes-article/2488

Change in mental health after smoking cessation: systematic review and meta-analysis
<cite><abbr title="BMJ" class="slug-jnl-abbrev">BMJ </abbr> 2014; 348 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g1151 (Published 13 February 2014) Cite this as: <abbr title="bmj.com" class="slug-jnl-abbrev">BMJ</abbr> 2014;348:g1151 </cite>Gemma Taylor, doctoral researcher12,Ann McNeill, professor of tobacco addiction; Alan Girling, reader in medical statistics; Amanda Farley, lecturer in epidemiology; Nicola Lindson-Hawley, research fellow; Paul Aveyard, professor of behavioural medicine


Abstract

Objective To investigate change in mental health after smoking cessation compared with continuing to smoke.

Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Data sources Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO for relevant studies from inception to April 2012. Reference lists of included studies were hand searched, and authors were contacted when insufficient data were reported.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Longitudinal studies of adults that assessed mental health before smoking cessation and at least six weeks after cessation or baseline in healthy and clinical populations.

Results 26 studies that assessed mental health with questionnaires designed to measure anxiety, depression, mixed anxiety and depression, psychological quality of life, positive affect, and stress were included. Follow-up mental health scores were measured between seven weeks and nine years after baseline. Anxiety, depression, mixed anxiety and depression, and stress significantly decreased between baseline and follow-up in quitters compared with continuing smokers: the standardised mean differences (95% confidence intervals) were anxiety −0.37 (95% confidence interval −0.70 to −0.03); depression −0.25 (−0.37 to −0.12); mixed anxiety and depression −0.31 (−0.47 to −0.14); stress −0.27 (−0.40 to −0.13). Both psychological quality of life and positive affect significantly increased between baseline and follow-up in quitters compared with continuing smokers 0.22 (0.09 to 0.36) and 0.40 (0.09 to 0.71), respectively). There was no evidence that the effect size differed between the general population and populations with physical or psychiatric disorders.

Conclusions Smoking cessation is associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress and improved positive mood and quality of life compared with continuing to smoke. The effect size seems as large for those with psychiatric disorders as those without. The effect sizes are equal or larger than those of antidepressant treatment for mood and anxiety disorders.

Passive smoking 'damages children's arteries'
By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online
5 March 2014 Last updated at 01:36

Passive smoking causes lasting damage to children's arteries, prematurely ageing their blood vessels by more than three years, say researchers.

The damage - thickening of blood vessel walls - increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes in later life, they say in the European Heart Journal.

In their study of more than 2,000 children aged three to 18, the harm occurred if both parents smoked.

Experts say there is no "safe" level of exposure to second-hand smoke.

This study goes a step further and shows it [passive smoking] can cause potentially irreversible damage to children's arteries increasing their risk of heart problems in later life” Doireann Maddock British Heart Foundation

The research, carried out in Finland and Australia, appears to reveal the physical effects of growing up in a smoke-filled home - although it is impossible to rule out other potentially contributory factors entirely.
Hidden damage

Ultrasound scans showed how children whose parents both smoked developed changes in the wall of a main artery that runs up the neck to the head.

While the differences in carotid intima-media thickness were modest, they were significant and detectable some 20 years later when children had reached adulthood, say the investigators.

Study author Dr Seana Gall, from the University of Tasmania, said: "Our study shows that exposure to passive smoke in childhood causes a direct and irreversible damage to the structure of the arteries.

"Parents, or even those thinking about becoming parents, should quit smoking. This will not only restore their own health but also protect the health of their children into the future."
father smoking while holding his child

The results took account of other factors that might otherwise explain the association, such as whether the children went on to be smokers themselves, but the findings remained unchanged.

However, if only one parent smoked the effect was not seen - possibly because exposure was not as high.

Dr Gall said: "We can speculate that the smoking behaviour of someone in a house with a single adult smoking is different. For example, the parent that smokes might do so outside away from the family, therefore reducing the level of passive smoking. However, as we don't have this type of data, this is only a hypothesis."

Regardless, experts say all children should be protected from second-hand smoke.

> Smoke can stay in the air for up to two and a half hours even with a window open

> It may still be there even if you can't see it or smell it

> Second-hand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, some of which are known to cause cancer

> Children who breathe in second-hand smoke have an increased risk of asthma and coughs and colds, as well as cot death, meningitis and ear infections

Doireann Maddock, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "The negative health effects of passive smoking are well known, but this study goes a step further and shows it can cause potentially irreversible damage to children's arteries increasing their risk of heart problems in later life.
'Avoid scaremongering'

"If you're a smoker, the single most effective way of reducing your child's exposure to passive smoke is for you to quit.

"If this isn't possible, having a smoke-free home and car offers the best alternative to help protect your child from the harmful effects of passive smoke."

Simon Clark, director of the smokers' group Forest, said: "We must avoid scaremongering because damage to arteries could be caused by a number of factors including poor diet and other forms of air pollution.

"While it's sensible and considerate not to smoke around children in a small confined space it's far too easy to point the finger at smokers when the issue is extremely complicated."

Salivary gland cancer is a cancer that forms in tissues of a salivary gland. The salivary glands are classified as major and minor. The major salivary glands consist of the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. The minor glands include small mucus-secreting glands located throughout the palate, nasal and oral cavity. Salivary gland cancer is rare, with 2% of head and neck tumors forming in the salivary glands, the majority in the parotid.

The chief risk factor is chewing tobacco, followed by smoking.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salivary_gland_cancer

Lung cancer (also known as carcinoma of the lung) is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung by process of metastasis into nearby tissue or other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in the lung, known as primary lung cancers, are carcinomas that derive from epithelial cells. The main primary types are small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), also called oat cell cancer, and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The most common symptoms are coughing (including coughing up blood), weight loss, shortness of breath, and chest pains.

The most common cause is long-term exposure to tobacco smoke, which causes 80–90% of lung cancers.

http://www.nccs.com.sg/patientcare/whatiscancer/cancerStatistics/Pages/Home.aspx

http://www.amazon.com/Everyones-Guide-Cancer-Therapy-Diagnosed/dp/0740768573