The 2023 New Year brings about new resolutions for many hoping to adopt a healthier lifestyle like eating healthier or exercising more.
Quitting smoking could help, too.
With several health problems stemming from smoking including cancer, heart disease, and respiratory infections, why not quit smoking as a resolution?
Let’s dive into the facts and benefits of leaving smoking behind in 2022!
Rates of Latino Smokers
Over 32.4 million American adults still smoke cigarettes, according to the American Cancer Society. The CDC reports that cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.
How does this impact Latinos?
About 1 in 13 (8%) Latino adults in the U.S. smokes cigarettes, according to the CDC.
Cigarette smoking also is more common for Latino men than Latinas.
Latino youth can also be targeted when it comes to vaping.
“Tobacco companies have a history of targeting racial and ethnic minorities, including the Latino population,” according to a Salud America! resource.
Vaping and e-cigarettes were most common among younger Latinos, according to a 2020 study.
The same study reports that percentages of e-cigarette use among Latino youth includes 10.5% of middle schoolers and 27.5% of high schoolers use e-cigarettes overall.
The Benefits of Quitting
Kicking a smoking or vaping habit can lead to several benefits including
“Quitting smoking is the single best way to protect family members, coworkers, friends, and others from the health risks associated with breathing secondhand smoke,” according to the CDC.
The CDC also highlights other upsides to eliminating smoking like cardiovascular, respiratory health, cancer-related, and even reproductive health benefits.
“Over time, people who quit smoking see many benefits to their health. After you smoke your last cigarette, your body begins a series of positive changes that continue for years,” according to the CDC.
Those who quit smoking from 1 to 12 months could see benefits like decrease in coughing and shortness of breath.
Individuals that have eliminated smoking for close to 20 years could see other significant benefits like decreases in the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, and voice compared to that of someone who does not smoke. The risk of pancreatic cancer could also drop along with the added risk of cervical cancer dropping by about half.
“While quitting earlier in life yields greater health benefits, quitting smoking is beneficial to health at any age. Even people who have smoked for many years or have smoked heavily will benefit from quitting,” according to the CDC.
Quit Smoking with Quitxt
Searching for a convenient and free program that will help you quit smoking?
Look no further than Quitxt!
Quitxt is a bilingual service from UT Health San Antonio and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas that sends texts messages to smartphones to help South Texas adults quit smoking.
Messages from Quitxt help with motivation to quit, setting a quit date, handling stress, and using nicotine replacement, if needed.
To join Quitxt in English, text “iquit” to 844-332-2058.
For Spanish, text “lodejo” to 844-332-2058.
Does Quitxt work?
More than 1 in 5 Quitxt users fully quit smoking after completing the English version of the program, according to a 2017 study.
“There’s no better time than now to stop smoking with help from Quitxt,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio. “Quitting smoking is proven to improve your health, increase your life span, and save money.”
Visit the Quitxt website for more information and tools in both English and Spanish that can help you or someone you know quit smoking today!
The post Make Quitting Smoking Part of Your New Year’s Resolutions appeared first on Salud America.