Tobacco Control Kit to be Launched
Nova Scotians will have a new resource that helps reduce or eliminate health risks caused by tobacco use in their communities. The Action in your Community against Tobacco, or ACT, Program will be unveiled at the provincial tobacco conference in Clementsport, Annapolis Co., on Oct. 12.
"We know that people in our communities who are committed to taking action against tobacco need information and resources," said Sharon MacIntosh, ACT coach from the Capital District Health Authority. "That's why we worked together to create ACT, an amazing resource of information and activities, designed to assist a network of volunteer coaches and team members in promoting the benefits of smoke-free communities and supporting our families, neighbours and friends in making healthy lifestyle choices."
Nova Scotia has the highest rate of smoking in the country and spends roughly $170 million annually treating smoking-related illnesses.
"Tobacco kills about 1,650 Nova Scotians each year, but the health risks of smoking are not only limited to smokers," says Judy Purcell, ACT coordinator and health promotion coordinator for the Canadian Cancer Society - Nova Scotia Division. "Exposure to second-hand smoke is also of great concern since it is the third largest cause of lung cancer. We believe ACT will create positive changes in communities throughout Nova Scotia by giving people the tools they need to take action against tobacco and its harmful effects."
The ACT initiative, led by Cancer Care Nova Scotia and the Canadian Cancer Society - Nova Scotia Division, recognizes that reducing tobacco use requires a shift in community attitudes about smoking. This type of significant change can take place only when local community people become directly involved.
ACT works through a network of coaches and action team members, all of whom are volunteers. Using the ACT tool kit, and supported by trained coaches, community members will work together to reduce the impact of tobacco use in their communities. Fifteen ACT coaches from across the province will work with local volunteers to implement the activities from the tool kit they feel will be most effective in their communities.
The tool kit is full of tried and proven activities that will help make communities healthier places to live. Activities focus on three main areas: helping youth avoid starting to smoke; supporting people who are trying to quit; and protecting community members from the dangers of second-hand smoke.
"Enlisting the support of others is key to the success in changing community values," said Karen Pyra, prevention coordinator for Cancer Care Nova Scotia. "The people who have the best chance of changing community values to support non-smoking behaviours are the folks who live and work there."
The ACT steering committee includes representatives from Cancer Care Nova Scotia; the Canadian Cancer Society - Nova Scotia Division; Public Health Districts 4, 5, and 6 and the Capital District Health Authority; Addiction Services, Districts 1, 2, and 3; the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia; Heart Health Nova Scotia; and the Department of Health's Tobacco Control Unit.
The Canadian Cancer Society - Nova Scotia Division is a community-based, non-profit organization whose vision is to work with communities from across the province to overcome cancer and create healthier lives for all Nova Scotians.
Cancer Care Nova Scotia is a program of the Department of Health created to reduce the burden of cancer on individuals, families, and the health-care system through prevention, screening, education and research.