PAGE 10 THE PRESS FEBRUARY 13, 2013
Through with Chew Week Aims to
Discourage Smokeless Tobacco Use
GRAFTON, N.D. -- Through
with Chew Week -- February 17-
23 -- is an annual effort to draw
awareness to harm caused by
smokeless tobacco use. The Cen-
ter for Tobacco Prevention and
Control Policy (the Center) is
using the opportunity to remind
parents, school educators and the
public that it is important to con-
tinue to work toward preventing
the use of tobacco products among
our youth.
In North Dakota, the 2011
Youth Risk Behavior Survey
(YRBS) shows that the high school
student use of chewing tobacco,
snuffor dip is 13.6 percent, almost
twice as high as the national aver-
age of 7.8 percent. Even though
North Dakota's rates have declined
since the 2009 report, which re-
ported a 15.3 percent usage rate,
more needs to be done to prevent
youth from using smokeless to-
bacco products.
Jeanne Prom, director of the
Center, said that reducing tobacco
use rates among kids in North
Dakota involves changing social
norms to make tobacco use less ac-
ceptable by working with the Cen-
ter's local public health partners.
"Public health tobacco prevention
coordinators work with school
boards to adopt comprehensive to-
bacco-free campus policies," said
Prom.
North Dakota now has 116
school districts that have adopted
tobacco-free school policies that
protect 58 percent of the K-12 stu-
dent population. Even so, 22.2 per-
cent of North Dakota male high
school students use smokeless or
spit tobacco, due in part to the
ways tobacco companies market
their smokeless products.
Prom said that tobacco compa-
nies market smokeless tobacco
products as a way to use tobacco in
places where smoking is not al-
lowed. They also claim that
smoke-free products are safer than
cigarettes.
Spit and chewing tobacco can
cause oral cancer, especially in the
cheeks, gums and throat, and can
lead to other oral problems, such as
mouth sores, gum recession and
tooth decay. According to the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Pre-
vention, oral cancer is the sixth
leading cancer in men.
"Smokeless tobacco users need
to check monthly for damage to
teeth, gums, the tongue and sur-
rounding tissue, which may be
early warning signs of cancer,"
said Sharon Laxdal, Walsh County
Tobacco Prevention Coordinator.
American Heart Month
encourages tobacco-free
lifestyle for healthy hearts
GRAFTON, N.D. -- February is American Heart Month and the
Center for Tobacco Prevention and Control Policy (the Center) and
the North Dakota Department of Health are teaming up to raise
awareness on how tobacco use impacts heart disease.
North Dakota Department of Health Heart Disease and Stroke Pre-
vention Program Manager Karalee Harper said that smoking or long-
term exposure to secondhand smoke raises the risk of heart disease
and heart attacks. "Smoking and being exposed to secondhand smoke
triggers a buildup of plaque in your arteries and increases the risk of
blood clots forming," Harper said.
Harper also reminds the public that cigarette smokers are two to
four times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than non-smok-
ers. "The more you smoke, the greater your risk of heart attack," said
Harper. In addition to causing heart attacks, smoking also damages
blood vessels and a person's entire cardiovascular system.
Jeanne Prom, director of the Center, said that an important com-
ponent to avoiding heart disease is through prevention efforts like nev-
er starting to use tobacco.
"Every day 3,500 kids in the United States under age 18 try their
first cigarette and an additional 1,000 kids become hooked on tobac-
co and become new daily users," Prom said. "At least a third of these
new smokers will die early from smoking-related causes."
Prom said the tobacco industry is difficult to combat because it spends
$25.7 million marketing their products to recruit new users in North
Dakota alone. The majority of the tobacco companies' marketing dol-
lars are spent in the form of price discounts to make their products as
cheap as possible so tobacco is appealing to new users.
According to the Center and the N.D. Department of Health, to-
bacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths in North Dako-
ta. Last year, tobacco use killed 800 North Dakotans prematurely and
cost the state over $247 million in healthcare. And, while the new
statewide smoke-free law protects everyone from the harmful effects
of secondhand smoke, more work needs to be done so everyone can
enjoy the health benefits of a tobacco-free lifestyle.
"Our new statewide smoke-free law will save lives by reducing the
harm caused by secondhand smoke," Sharon Laxdal with the Walsh
County Health District said. "Now, we have to tum more attention on
prevention efforts that will stop people from starting to use tobacco
in the first place."
By reinforcing the health benefits of a tobacco-free lifestyle, a pat-
tem of social norms take shape making it less acceptable to use to-
bacco, which will lead to a decrease in the number of tobacco users.
The result will be saved lives and money for North Dakota.
To learn about preventing tobacco use, contact Sharon Laxdal at
701-352-5139 or go to www.breathend.com to leam more about to-
bacco prevention.
"Our office is pleased to announce
that once again all Walsh County
dental offices will be offering free
oral screenings during Through
With Chew Week. However, the
best way to prevent oral cancer is
to never begin using smokeless to-
bacco, and if you use tobacco, now
is the time to quit."
To learn about preventing to-
bacco use, contact Walsh County
Health District at 701-352-5139 or
go to www.breathend.com. In ad-
dition, you may contact one of the
following dental offices to sched-
ule your free oral exam during
Through With Chew Week (Febru-
ary 17-23):
Dr. Brewer, Grafton at 352-
2450
Daby Dentistry, Grafton at 352-
0730
Dr. Ekman, Lifetime Dental,
Park River at 284-7777
Kern Family Dentistry, Graflon
at 352-2013
Dr. Larson & Dr. Beneda, Park
River Dental Clinic at 284-6131
Your source for Happy Happenings.
Walsh County Press 284-6333
Smoking is a great way
to get your heart's attention.
When your heart stops, being close to a
defibrillator can save your life. You can also
save your life by not smoking. Smoking
damages your heart, your blood vessels,
and your cardiovascular system. All good
reasons to never start using tobacco.
February is Heart Month.
Cigarette smokers are 2-4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease.
Learn more at BreatheND.com
Brought to you by the Center for Tobacco Prevention and Control Policy and your local public health unit.
Photo: Submittec
Above: Bob Anderson regained independence with a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
fi__r _rr. _D_ _.,,__A__]r_ _x?. _t_,t_ ].m _rI.A__.-2_r _. _7
mobility and I was unable to lift either leg to get in a
vehicle. It was becoming more dangerous for me to
travel out of our home," said Anderson.
For about a year, in order to get to his job each
morning Anderson either had to be driven by his
brother-in-law Bruce Ellingson or his youngest daugh-
ter Katelyn. Anderson always was a very independent
an active person so to have to be chauffeured was dis-
couraging for the 51-year-old teacher.
Again in July, Anderson got sick, which earned him
another week stay at Stanford Health and Alma's Re-
habilitation Center. While he was in the Rehab center,
Anderson and his wife Deb began working with Vo-
cational Rehab to try and receive some assistance
with equipment such as a mobilized wheelchair and a
handicapped accessible truck that would help Ander-
son become more independent.
"Things were moving along smoothly until the
state decided to freeze all further funding for anything.
At that moment I thought; 'I am truly handicapped.' I
never thought this before, because I kept as busy as
possible and was able to transport to destinations away
from my home, but ifI could no longer drive life was
going to be very difficult for my family," said Ander-
son.
Without the wheelchair and the truck, Anderson
would have to be completely dependent on his family.
"Well, my wife was not going down without a fight
so she wrote a fantastic letter and set it to the vocational
rehab and the state. The letter was the initiative that re-
suited in me obtaining some assistance to help us pur-
chase the equipment needed to gain some of my in-
dependence," said Anderson.
The truck that Anderson received was converted by
Bert's Trucking in Moorhead. It has a ramp that opens
out of the driver's side and lowers down so that he carl
back his new mobilized wheelchair on until it locks
into place. Once the wheelchair is locked into place,
Anderson pushes a button that raises the ramp back up
and into the truck making his wheelchair the driver's
seat so he never has to transition out of his chair mak-:
ing it easier for him to be independent.
"The truck has two batteries; one for operating th
truck and the second battery is for the door lift. The
door is operated by remote control. A button combi=
nation opens the driver door and lowers a metal plate.
I back into an EZ lock mechanism with my electric
wheelchair and when it locks in place, I use a switch
on the interior of the driver side truck door to raise the
wheelchair and close the door. The wheelchair is my
driver seat," he said. The truck is also equipped witl
hand controls for Anderson to accelerate and apply the2
brakes. He received some training from Altru Rehab
in Grand Forks for driving with hands controls.
Now that Anderson has the truck and the electric
wheelchair, he can be more independent than he has
been in a long time.
"I am able to go by myself to some locations" said
Anderson.
Even with the truck Anderson still encounters trou-
bles with entering certain buildings that aren't com-
pletely handicapped accessible (doorways that swing
out, high thresholds, narrow passageways).
"It is great to drive but I still require some assistance
when I get to my destination if the building is not hand-
icap accessible, "said Anderson.
The truck gave Anderson his independence and
his family their peace of mind knowing that he has a
vehicle that is safe for him to drive.
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