UH Health Services to host "Great American Smokeout" health fair on Nov. 16

Event coincides with Hawaii's new smoking ban

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Dana McCurdy, (808) 956-3574
Health Promotion Office
Posted: Nov 15, 2006


HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa‘s Health Services Office will host a health fair on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the UH Campus Center Mall in recognition of the American Cancer Society‘s "Great American Smokeout" and the new Smoke Free Hawaiʻi law, which takes effect on this day.

Volunteers and staff from the Health Promotion Office will promote healthy lifestyles and encourage people to take advantage of University Health Services‘ free tobacco cessation program. In addition, members from the community will offer free frozen yogurt, massages, fitness training and other healthy alternatives to smoking.

According to the American Cancer Society, smoking is the number one preventable cause of death and illness in the United States and in Hawaiʻi, claiming more lives than car crashes, homicides, suicides, fires, AIDS and alcohol and other drug use combined. In addition, many college age students have smoked for years because they started as teenagers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that each day more than 6,000 persons under the age of 18 years try their first cigarette and more than 3,000 persons in this age group become daily smokers. Secondhand smoke is also the third leading cause of preventable death in the country, killing 53,000 nonsmokers in the U.S. each year.

To help curb secondhand smoke in Hawaiʻi, Gov. Linda Lingle approved Senate Bill 3262, banning smoking in all public places, including bars, restaurants, office buildings, and work places beginning on Nov. 16. Hawaiʻi is one of 13 states to become smoke-free.

For more information about the health fair, contact Dana McCurdy at 956-3574.