Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline Offers Resources to Help Mothers and Their Families Live Tobacco Free
TULSA, OK – [May 6, 2015] – Mother’s Day is a time for mothers to reflect on the important role they have in influencing their children’s choices regarding tobacco use. The Tobacco Free Coalition for Tulsa County and the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline are encouraging Oklahoma moms who use tobacco to make the healthy decision to talk to a Quit Coach and quit for good this Mother’s Day.
Brandi Fullam, of Tulsa, started smoking when she was 11 years old, and eventually became a two-pack-a-day smoker. Brandi quit smoking when she became pregnant, but she quickly began again after the birth of her son, Zamien. According to the Oklahoma Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, more than 50 percent of smokers resumed smoking within two to six months postpartum. “I decided to quit when we were driving in the car,” said Brandi. “My son, Zamien, was like, ‘The smoke, it’s bothering me, it’s bothering me.’ But quitting without support was very hard for me. That’s why I called the Helpline. The Quit Coaches were really understanding and caring. With their help, it was a lot easier to quit than I thought it would be.”
To assist mothers on their quitting journey, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline connects registered users with specially trained Quit Coaches who provide non-judgmental support and help build personal quit plans. Free quit coaching and free patches, gum or lozenges are available for all Oklahoma tobacco users trying to quit.
“Zamien told me that the smoke makes him cough,” said Brandi. “If he would come outside when I was smoking, he would do a fake cough, and be like, ‘Mom it’s making me cough,’ you know. I’d always be like ‘Just go in the house,’ like it was no big deal. But then after a while, it started getting to me. It kind of made my heart hurt.”
Tobacco use among women is still a serious issue, as nearly 20 million adult women smoke cigarettes. Additionally, more than 86,000 children have already lost their mothers to smoking. Lung cancer now kills more women per year than breast cancer. In fact, the 2014 Surgeon General’s Report states that women are now as likely as men to get sick and die from smoking-caused diseases such as lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Since 1959, the additional risk of lung cancer among women smokers has jumped nearly tenfold.
To celebrate Mother’s Day, the Tobacco Free Coalition for Tulsa County offers all mothers, both smokers and nonsmokers, tips on how to protect their children from the dangers of secondhand smoke:
If you smoke, call 1-800-QUIT NOW or visit OKhelpline.com to connect with professional Quit Coaches and make a plan to quit. Children from families who smoke are twice as likely to become smokers themselves.
Protect your child from secondhand smoke by avoiding businesses and venues that allow smoking.
Maintain an entirely tobacco-free home and car.
Educate your children about the dangers of smoking and tobacco use at an early age.
Ask your child about their friends’ attitudes towards tobacco. Discuss peer pressure and how to deal with it.
Make sure your child’s school has a strong tobacco-free policy campus-wide for students and staff.
Tobacco Free Coalition for Tulsa County
The Tobacco Free Coalition is a Communities of Excellence grantee of the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust serving Tulsa County and promoting smoke free environments, tobacco cessation and tobacco prevention. For more information about joining the Tobacco Free Coalition contact Vanessa Hall-Harper, vhharper@tulsa-health.org or 918-595-4226.
Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust
The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations working towards shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, by cultivating innovative and life-changing research, and by working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health. To learn more go to: www.tset.ok.gov.
Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline
The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline is a free service for Oklahomans wanting to quit tobacco. Funding is primarily provided by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Oklahoma Employees Group Insurance Division and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline has served more than 250,000 Oklahomans since 2003 and was ranked the top quitline for reaching tobacco users seeking treatment in FY2013 by the North American Quitline Consortium.
