Stop smoking to improve health

To the editor:

September 29 was World Heart Day, an annual event that raises awareness about cardiovascular disease.

There are lots of things you can do to help your heart, like eating lots of fruits and vegetables, exercising, and getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked on a regular basis.

Want another tip to a healthy heart?

Don’t use tobacco products or quit if you currently use tobacco products.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Hoosiers. According to the 2014 U.S. Surgeon General’s report, about 24% of coronary heart disease deaths among U.S. adults age 35 and older are because of smoking, and about 34,000 heart disease deaths nationwide are because of secondhand smoke.

The first piece of good news is that it’s never too late to quit smoking.

The second piece of good news is that free help is available here in Indiana.

If you use tobacco products and are ready to quit, you can get free help from the Indiana Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUITNOW or visit QuitNowIndiana.com for more information.

For more on local tobacco prevention and control efforts, visit jcdpc.org/tobacco-prevention.

Sydney Haines

Tobacco prevention coordinator

Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition