University of Hawai'i University Relations Media & Publications Honolulu, HI 96822	(808) 956-8856 Telephone (808) 956-3441 Facsimile ur@hawaii.edu E-Mail
For Immediate Release:	October 28, 1998
Contact: Kristen Scholly, 956-3574

UH Health Education Center promotes "Smokeout" The University of Hawai'i Health Education Center kicks off the American Cancer Society's "Great American Smokeout" with activities designed to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking and the advantages of quitting. Photo Opportunity: Nov. 19, 10:30-1:30 at the Manoa Campus Center Mall. Volunteers and staff from the Health Education Center will be distributing educational materials and publicizing the national event. UH Manoa has historically taken a proactive stance in providing a healthy environment for students, faculty and staff. On Nov. 19 Health Education Center volunteers will help UHM move one step closer to becoming a tobacco-free campus. Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in society, according to the American Cancer Society. Tobacco use is responsible for nearly one in five deaths in the United States. Data from the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study II show that smoking accounts for at least 29% of all cancer deaths, and approximately half of all continuing smokers die prematurely from smoking. In addition to being responsible for 87% of lung cancers, smoking is also associated with cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, uterine cervix, kidney and bladder. According to the American Cancer Society, many college-age people have smoked for years because they started as teenagers. Many smokers would like to quit but find creating and implementing a plan difficult. The purpose of the cancer society's "Smokeout" is to motivate smokers to quit for one day. One day without smoking may be the first step on a journey toward being smoke-free for a lifetime.

-UH-