A new University Web site could have student smokers thinking twice before lighting their next cigarette.
The Board of Regents
Health Excellence Smoking Cessation Project launched www.lsu.edu/smokingwords to offer tips for anyone wanting to quit smoking, news about the health risks of tobacco and links to other anti-smoking sites.
“The Web site is meant to inform students about smoking triggers and tell them how they can quit when they are ready,” said Judy Sylvester, mass communication associate professor. “We hope all students will better understand how tobacco companies target them through advertising and especially bar promotions and premiums.”
The project researched the smoking habits of both LSU and Southern University students since the fall of 2000. The survey indicated that 30 percent of all LSU undergraduates smoke.
Unfortunately for the high percentage of smokers on campus, students can face many obstacles if they attempt to overcome a nicotine addiction.
Many factors can make it hard to quit smoking including stress, alcohol consumption and a sense that their health is not yet being affected by nicotine use, Sylvester said.
Students mentioned academic stress as a main factor in their inability to quit.
“When I have a test the next morning and I’m studying all night, I need a cigarette,” said Lauren Acree, textiles, apparel and merchandising sophomore. “I’m not thinking about the fact that it is bad for me at the time.”
Some individuals are skeptical that a Web site will help them quit using tobacco products.
“I started smoking when I was 16,” said Robert Vastine, a university studies junior. “I have tried to quit before with gum and patches, but nothing can replace the feeling I get from smoking. A Web site especially is not going to tell me anything I don’t already know.”
SmokingWords.com suggests that students find alternate ways to handle stress, such as going to the REC center, jogging around campus, mediating or hanging out with friends. Social situations where smoking will be prevalent, such as bars, should be avoided.
“The smokers who are least likely to quit are the ones who enjoy smoking for the relaxation effect,” Sylvester said. “They are ignoring health-related messages and dismissing cosmetic affects to hair, teeth and clothes. They think they are only hurting themselves, but in reality, they hurt everyone who comes in contact with their second-hand smoke.”