Kansans Join the 29th Annual Great American Smokeout

Kansans find great resource in the toll free Kansas Tobacco Quitline

Hundreds of smokers across the state of Kansas will join tobacco users world wide to quit smoking on November 17. These committed Kansans? efforts to quit are part of the 29th annual Great American Smokeout, a nationally recognized event challenging people to stop smoking.

Kansans have a great tool to help them quit their nicotine addiction. The toll free Kansas Tobacco Quitline (1-866-KAN-STOP) provides a free, personalized plan to help Kansans kick their nicotine addiction.

"We are very pleased to see Kansans choosing to get help from our Quitline to stop smoking and using tobacco products," said Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Secretary Roderick Bremby. "Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death in Kansans. With programs like the Quitline, Kansans have a great resource not only during the Great American Smokeout, but every day of the year, to assist in their effort to quit for good."

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in Kansas. Every year, nearly 4,000 Kansans die from diseases that are directly linked to tobacco usage. The Adult Tobacco Survey shows that 1 in 5 adults in Kansas are smokers and nearly thirty percent of Kansans use some form of tobacco.

Tobacco-related illnesses in Kansas are responsible for more than $720 million in medical expenditures each year. The state spends $153 million in Medicaid costs to treat tobacco-related illnesses and more than $800 million in lost productivity costs are directly related to tobacco use in Kansas each year.

"Quitting tobacco use is an important issue to thousands of Kansans," said Dr. Howard Rodenberg, KDHE Division of Health Director. "The state is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to treat illnesses caused by tobacco use and youth continue to begin smoking. However, hundreds of Kansans who currently smoke have the desire to quit. Both heavy and light smokers will notice an immediate improvement in their health when they quit using tobacco, creating a healthier family and a healthier state."

When you?re ready to quit using tobacco and create a tobacco-free home, the toll-free Kansas Tobacco Quitline, 1-866-KAN-STOP is a great place to start. The Quitline provides free, personalized counseling to help improve your chances of becoming tobacco free. This useful and effective tool for tobacco users is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The one-on-one telephone counseling sessions are scheduled at times convenient for the caller. Callers are encouraged to contact the Quitline as many times as possible to help them meet their goals.

The Kansas Tobacco Use Prevention Program provides resources and technical assistance to community coalitions for development, enhancement and evaluation of state and local tobacco prevention initiatives. For additional information about the Kansas Tobacco Quitline or about Great American Smokeout activities in Kansas, contact the Kansas Tobacco Use Prevention at www.kdheks.gov/tobacco/.