Pittsboro, NC – The Chatham County Public Health Department (CCPHD) will be offering the QuitSmart program this fall to help Chatham County residents quit using tobacco.
Tobacco use is “the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with approximately 480,000 Americans dying each year from tobacco-related illnesses, and more than 16 million Americans suffering from at least one disease caused by smoking. Use of tobacco products such as cigarettes, vapes/electronic cigarettes, smokeless tobacco like chew or dip, cigars, and pipes can contribute to cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system including rheumatoid arthritis.
According to the 2021 Chatham County Community Assessment, 1 in 9 adults in Chatham County say they use any tobacco product (11.2%), with the most common being cigarettes (8.2%), followed by cigars (1.9%) and vapes/electronic cigarettes (1.1%).
The free virtual classes will start with an information session on October 6th, followed by three meetings. All sessions will be virtual and led by a trained and nationally-certified instructor. Participants will also receive:
2 weeks of nicotine replacement patchesQuitSmart materialsSupport from other participantsPersonalized pre-quit and 12-week quit plan
All sessions are held on Zoom from 6-7:30 p.m. on:
Thursday, October 6thThursday, October 13thThursday, October 27thThursday, November 3rd
Those who have questions or want to sign up for the class should email Program Lead Anna Stormzand at anna.stormzand@chathamcountync.gov or call the CCPHD office at (919) 542-8271 and let them know you want to sign-up for the October QuitSmart classes. They can also learn more here. The registration deadline is Wednesday, October 5.
To learn more about the Chatham County Public Health Department, visit chathamcountync.gov/publichealth and facebook.com/chathamhealth. More data on Chatham County tobacco use and other health topics can be found in the recent 2021 Chatham County Community Assessment at chathamcountync.gov/healthreports.