Quitting Smoking Is Contagious, Pass It On!

Want to quit smoking for good? You may be more successful if you enlist a loved one to quit smoking with you.

Recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people are more likely to successfully kick the habit when people in their social network, such as friends, co-workers, siblings, and spouses, do the same.

For example, when a husband or wife quit smoking, their spouses were 67% less likely to smoke. People with a friend who quit smoking were 36% less likely to smoke themselves. In smaller companies, employees are 34% less likely to smoke when a co-worker quits. Those with a brother or sister who quit were 25% less likely to smoke.

“This research shows how people influence one another’s smoking behaviour,” says Cameron Bishop of The Canadian Lung Association. “When one person quits smoking, it can have a powerful ripple effect on their friends, family members and co-workers.”

For Gail Francis, of Fredericton, New Brunswick, the decision to quit smoking with a loved one was pivotal to her success. “Quitting together is very powerful. If it weren’t for my partner Louise, I would have smoked one thousand times. That’s because when you give someone your word, you’d better stick to it,” says Gail, who quit with Louise Steeves on Nov. 11, 2008. Read more

H1N1 Health Alert: Children With Asthma At Greater Risk From H1N1 Influenza

Children with asthma are at greater risk to develop serious symptoms from H1N1 (swine) flu than from seasonal flu, according to a new study. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a new Canadian study found that children hospitalized with H1N1 were more likely to have asthma (22%) compared to children hospitalized with seasonal flu (6%). However, severity of asthma did not seem to affect risk for H1N1. Children with asthma are among the high-risk groups the CDC has recommended be top priority to receive the H1N1 vaccine. Vaccination is the best protection against both H1N1 and seasonal influenza, and parents and caregivers of children with asthma are recommended to have their children vaccinated. To find out where to get an H1N1 or seasonal flu vaccination, visit http://www.flucliniclocator.org or contact your local department of health.

Parents of children with asthma should monitor their child’s health closely for signs of influenza. Symptoms of influenza include:

- Sudden onset of high fever
- Headache, muscle aches and joint pain
- Cough (usually dry)
- Chills
- Sore throat
- Nasal congestion and runny nose

Read more