Many people do not go to state basketball tournaments to sit at a table and provide education on tobacco use, but that was the opportunity I had today! Although uneventful, today showed an important aspect of public health nursing. Education is a vital component in prevention of chronic illnesses and debilitating conditions. We spoke on smokeless tobacco, E-cigarettes, and cigarettes and pinpointed which topics were necessary and relevant to each individual in the table we ran.
It was amazing that the age groups of people that stopped by varied anywhere from 6 or 7 years old to 70 years old. One individual’s mother has smoked for many years and apparently, is not looking to stop anytime soon. With the resources I provided him on communication about tobacco use cessation and a “Quitline” for her to call if she decides to make the healthy choice to quit smoking, she might be able to make steps in the right direction with the help of her son. To clarify, “Quitline” offers a Quit Coach that will help them develop an individualized plan to quit smoking, 8 weeks worth of nicotine patches or gum, and a hotline that is easily accessible and readily available. This is just one of the many resources I handed out and was able to use in educating these individuals. Another, young boy took two “Quitline” cards for his friend’s parents that smoke in hopes to help them quit smoking. It really is the little things that made today worth it.
There were several other people that might advantage from these resources that stopped by our booth, and I am so glad that I was able to provide some education and hopefully help some individuals make steps in the right direction in bettering their health.
It was amazing that the age groups of people that stopped by varied anywhere from 6 or 7 years old to 70 years old. One individual’s mother has smoked for many years and apparently, is not looking to stop anytime soon. With the resources I provided him on communication about tobacco use cessation and a “Quitline” for her to call if she decides to make the healthy choice to quit smoking, she might be able to make steps in the right direction with the help of her son. To clarify, “Quitline” offers a Quit Coach that will help them develop an individualized plan to quit smoking, 8 weeks worth of nicotine patches or gum, and a hotline that is easily accessible and readily available. This is just one of the many resources I handed out and was able to use in educating these individuals. Another, young boy took two “Quitline” cards for his friend’s parents that smoke in hopes to help them quit smoking. It really is the little things that made today worth it.
There were several other people that might advantage from these resources that stopped by our booth, and I am so glad that I was able to provide some education and hopefully help some individuals make steps in the right direction in bettering their health.