Hastings and Prince Edward Counties/January 15, 2016 – January 17-23 is National Non-Smoking Week and Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, in partnership with the provincial organization Leave The Pack Behind, is hosting the annual wouldurather… contest for young adults in the region. Aimed at motivating young adults to quit smoking, reduce their smoking, or stay smoke-free, the 6-week contest is an important strategy to help tackle the high rates of smoking among young adults. Two grand prizes of $2,500 are available to be won, as well as smaller cash awards and other prizes.
“According to the Canadian Community Health Survey, the smoking rate amongst young adults aged 20-34 in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties in 2014 was 52.2% compared to 22.3% provincially,” notes David Patterson, Health Promoter in the Tobacco Program at Hastings Prince Edward Public Health. “Although we do have to read these numbers with caution, we can say for certain that our area is higher than the provincial average in most smoking categories. We host weekly smoking cessation programs, but they aren’t well attended by the young adult population. This contest is a great fit for those who don’t traditionally seek out support for quitting.”
Last year, more than 13,000 young adults entered the contest, which has proven to help smokers quit. Recent research shows that up to 20% of young adults who participate in wouldurather… will quit smoking. Because not everyone is ready to quit right now, the wouldurather… contest offers participants the opportunity to choose from one of four categories. Young adults who smoke can quit smoking all together (Quit For Good); cut their smoking in half (Keep The Count); or refrain from smoking any time they are socializing and drinking alcohol (Party Without The Smoke). Non-smokers and ex-smokers can also enter the contest by pledging to renew their decision to stay smoke-free (Don’t Start and Win).
To participate in the 6-week contest beginning January 25, 2016, Ontario young adults between the ages of 18-29 or any-one enrolled at a publicly-funded post-secondary institution can sign up at www.wouldurather.ca until January 24, 2016 at 11:59 pm.
The Tobacco Control Team will be taking over Public Health’s Facebook and Twitter accounts over the course of the week, and they are encouraging the public to join the discussion. Using the hash tag #HPEQuitSmoking, they will be sharing lots of useful links, videos, pictures and resources aimed at educating, facilitating discussion, and helping those who are struggling with the addiction. “When it comes down to it, everyone has been impacted by the consequences of smoking in one way or another: It’s an addictive product that kills half of its users when used as intended,” says Patterson. “We have a duty to try and minimize or eliminate the harm associated with the use of tobacco.”
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About Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) operates one of 36 health units across Ontario. HPEPH provides doz-ens of programs and services, along with reliable health information, to a population of approximately 150,000 peo-ple in a 7,000 square km catchment area encompassing 17 municipalities. HPEPH’s mission is to enable the people in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties to achieve and maintain optimal health through health protection and promo-tion, as well as disease and injury prevention. For more information, please visit www.hpepublichealth.ca . You can also find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Media Contacts:
David Patterson, Health Promoter
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
613-966-5500, ext. 511
dpatterson@hpeph.ca
Lindsay Taylor, Assistant Manager, Communications
Leave The Pack Behind
905-688-5550, ext. 5838
Ltaylor2@brocku.ca
www.wouldurather.ca