Hazards of Smoking: How to Quit

Course Description:

Despite the proven and well-documented health risks associated with smoking, it continues to be widespread, with new smokers joining the ranks every day. An effective smoking cessation program for employees can result in lower healthcare costs for employees, more productive employees, and improved overall health of employees. An effective smoking cessation program must address the underlying reasons for starting to smoke as well as the myriad challenges of quitting. This online smoking cessation course helps employees understand the health risks of smoking, the benefits of quitting, and how to quit and remain tobacco-free. The benefits to you, the employer, are numerous, from lower healthcare costs to increased employee productivity.

Why “Hazards of Smoking: How to Quit” Matters:

It’s estimated that cigarette smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke cause more than 400,000 deaths each year in the United States.

Smokers, on average, miss 6.16 days of work per year due to sickness (including smoking-related acute and chronic conditions), compared to nonsmokers, who miss 3.86 days of work per year.

Tobacco use is the single most preventable risk factor for death and disease, contributing to more than 440,000 premature deaths annually in the U.S. during 1995 through 1999. This figure represents one out of every five deaths each year being associated with tobacco use, ranking tobacco use as the number one health problem contributing to death and disability in the United States.

One year after quitting, a person’s additional risk of heart disease is reduced by one-half, and after 15 years, this risk equals that of a person who never smoked. Within 10 years of quitting smoking, a former smoker’s risk of developing lung cancer is 30 percent to 50 percent below that of an active smoker. The benefits are even greater for individuals who quit smoking before age 50. Their risk of dying in the 15 years after quitting is one-half that of a person who smokes.

Key Points:

This smoking cessation course teaches the trainee about the hazards of smoking and the steps to take to quit smoking. The trainee will be able to:

• Identify the hazards of smoking.
• Understand the benefits of quitting.
• Effectively prepare to quit.
• Quit smoking successfully.
• Remain smoke-free.