WASHINGTON, April 29, 2019 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — “If you smoke, quitting is the single best thing you can do for your health and for your loved ones,” said Jane L. Delgado, Ph.D., M.S., President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance). “The Tips® campaign offers advice from former smokers and free support from 1-800-QUIT-NOW (in Spanish from 1-855-DÉJELO-YA), to help motivate smokers to quit,” added Dr. Delgado.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the eighth year of the Tips From Former Smokers campaign with new emotionally powerful ads featuring real people suffering from smoking-related illnesses such as cancer, and the devastating impact of these illnesses on the smokers’ families. Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanics, and tobacco use is a key risk factor for this disease.
Tips ads will run for 27 weeks on national and cable television, online, and in magazines. The new ads feature: Terrie, who at age 40 was diagnosed with oral and throat cancers and died at 53. Dana, age 38, Terrie’s daughter, who had to live with her mother’s illness and describes how it affected the family’s life. Christine, age 55, who at age 44 was diagnosed with oral cancer, which eventually required doctors to remove half of her jaw. Christine talks about the impact her smoking-related illness has had on her family. And, Susan Nimoy, the wife of Leonard Nimoy, the American actor best known for his role as Spock on Star Trek. She explains how Mr. Nimoy suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as a result of smoking, until his death in 2015.
The Alliance is promoting the 2019 Tips campaign through its Nuestras Voces (Our Voices) Network Program, which is working to increase partnerships and meaningful collaboration to effectively address the threats of commercial tobacco use and reduce the impact of tobacco related cancers in underserved Hispanic communities.
According to Dr. Delgado, “Each year, the tobacco industry spends over $9.3 billion, or more than a million dollars per hour, to promote its deadly products and attract new customers. The Tips campaign is a critical tool to educate our communities about the real impact of smoking and how people can get the help they need to quit. For more information on the Tips Campaign, visit www.cdc.gov/tips or call the Alliance’s Su Familia Helpline at 1-866-783-2645 for information on quitting smoking, talking to a loved one about smoking, or connecting to health services in your local community.”
About the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance). The Alliance is the nation’s foremost science-based source of information and trusted advocate for the health of Hispanics in the United States with a mission to achieve the best health outcomes for all. For more information visit www.healthyamericas.org.
About Nuestras Voces (Our Voices) Network. Nuestras Voces Network is working to expand multi-sector networks and their capacity to effectively address the threats of commercial tobacco use and reduce the impact of tobacco related cancers on the nation’s health and wellbeing, with a particular focus on reducing disparities in underserved Hispanic communities. For more information and to join Nuestras Voces visit www.nuestrasvoces.org.
SOURCE National Alliance for Hispanic Health
