February is Heart Disease Awareness Month. Quitting smoking is ranked at the top of the list among the many things you can do to prevent heart disease.

Every year in Mississippi, smoking accounts for an estimated 4,700 premature deaths. Smoking can lead to sudden heart attacks or strokes and actually causes coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system.

Non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke increase their risk of developing coronary heart disease. When combined with other risk factors, working and living in a smoke-filled environment can be extremely dangerous.

Fifty years after the release of the first Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health, there has been remarkable progress made throughout the United States, including the State of Mississippi.

Yet even with years of progress, tobacco use still remains the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the U.S.

This month and in the months that follow, we should all think about how we can make changes that can improve our heart health. Quitting smoking and eliminating secondhand smoke exposure can lead to a healthier life.

There is plenty of help available for Mississippians who want to quit smoking.

Contact the Mississippi State Department of Health’s (MSDH) Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

When you get help, you’re twice as likely to quit smoking for good.

For more information on how you can quit smoking, contact the Tobacco-Free Coalition of Adams, Jefferson and Franklin County at 601-807-7403. You may also contact the MSDH Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-784-8669 or visit quitlinems.com.

 

Paige Dickey is the director of the Mississippi Tobacco-Free Coalition of Adams, Franklin and Jefferson.