Celebrate a smoke-Free Father's Day

Father’s Day is a day to celebrate dads for all they do. It is also a great time for dads to remember the important role they play in influencing the choices their kids make regarding tobacco use.

Tobacco use among men remains a serious problem. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, one in six men currently smoke, more than 278,000 men die every year from smoking and 216,000 kids have already lost their dad to smoking.

Dads who smoke can celebrate Father’s Day by quitting; and all dads — smokers and nonsmokers alike — can celebrate Father’s Day by taking a number of effective actions to prevent their kids from ever starting.

Even if they smoke, what dads say, how they act and the values they communicate through their words and actions greatly influence whether or not their kids will smoke.

All dads can also do a lot to protect their kids from secondhand smoke.

How can dads keep their children from smoking?

As a parent, you are one of the most important people in a child’s life, especially when it comes to tobacco. You can make a big difference in the choices your kids make.

• If you smoke, quit. If you aren’t successful at first, keep trying. Children from families who smoke are twice as likely to become smokers themselves.

• Educate your children about the dangers of cigarette smoking. Talk about addiction and how hard it is to quit smoking. Emphasize the immediate health effects, like stress, increased blood pressure and coughing. Talk to your kids about how tobacco companies target them by trying to make tobacco seem cool they can addict them as life-long customers.

• Listen to what your children say and do about smoking and encourage your children when they make good choices.

• Ask your children about their friends and their attitudes toward smoking. Discuss peer pressure and how to deal with it effectively.

• Clear up any misunderstandings your children might have about smoking. For example, they should know that not everybody is doing it. Getting hooked can happen very quickly and quitting is very difficult.

How can you protect your child from secondhand smoke?

Fathers can protect their children from secondhand smoke and reduce the risk of smoke-caused health problems.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2 out of every 5 children ages 3 to 11 are exposed to secondhand smoke in the United States. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and compounds, including hundreds that are toxic and at least 69 that cause cancer. Secondhand smoke exposure also increases the chances that a child will suffer from coughing and wheezing, lower-respiratory infections, acute and chronic ear problems, and complications of asthma. A few steps to take include:

• Don’t let anyone smoke in your home. Make sure anyone who smokes only does so outside, away from open doors and windows. Remember: smoking residues in a home or car can cause harm even when smoking is no longer taking place.

• Never smoke in the car, especially when your child is a passenger.

• Avoid leaving your child with someone who smokes or in smoky environments. Ask about smoking and smoke-free rules and practices when choosing daycare centers or babysitters and even when leaving your kids at other people’s homes.

Parents and adults influence their children everyday by the examples they set. Promote and model healthy life choices by saying “no” to all tobacco use. For help, contact the Montana Tobacco Quit Line, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, or 1-800-784-8669.

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Havre Encourages Long-range Prevention Committee