CASE News

February 18, 2008
OzarkFirst.com, Springfield
MSU Students Work to Battle Second-hand Smoke
By Rob Evans

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It accounts for approximately one out of every five deaths each year. And even the people who don't light up are in danger.

Second-hand smoke kills tens of thousands of Americans each year. But some students at Missouri State University are working to get the word out about that alarming statistic.

Students of Missouri State University Against Smoking Hazards, or SMASH, hosted an event called Kiss Me Campaign 2008 this past week at the MSU Student Union.

The goal - to inform students of the dangers of tobacco, particularly second-hand smoke.

"Our slogan is just for the health of it, and we're promoting the sexiness of being a non-smoker around Valentine's Day," says Allison Wilson with Ozarks Public Health. "I think a lot of college students think smoking is cool, we're trying to promote that not smoking is also cool and a healthy thing to do.We've just been doing a lot of events to get awareness out, trying to find creative ways to talk to students about this issue on our campus."

The booth handed out information on second-hand smoke, how to quit smoking, a clean-air petition, and tobacco facts.

"This one actually says dogs in a smoking household have a 60 percent chance of lung cancer, so we're trying to get creative on the facts of smoking and second-hand smoke," Wilson points out.

Wilson says while numbers can't lie, they can get ignored, especially by young people, who sometimes think they'll live forever. "The statistics about death and dying aren't as effective for college age."

So how do you get their attention? By giving things away. Especially clothing.

"Finally at the last booth is where the person gets the t-shirt. But to get their t-shirt they actually have to read their facts, so they're getting a little bit of an education along with the free t-shirt at our event," she says.

Whatever the means, SMASH is determined to get the word out about the harm of second-hand smoke.

"We asked a lot of the students, and they just said the don't like the way their clothes smell after being in a smokey bar, or the way their breath smells," Wilson says.

A recent survey showed 87 percent of MSU students would prefer kissing a non-smoker.

"First of all, if I'm kissing him it tastes disgusting. I think it's unattractive, it rots your teeth, it's bad for your health," says MSU student Lauren Bouckaert.

"I don't like it, gives me a bad taste in my mouth, and my girlfriend doesn't like it, so it just doesn't work for me," says student Greg Ludlow.

"It's just very unattractive to have their teeth yellow or to have their taste be really bad," agrees Sarah Erst, another MSU student.

Second-hand smoke is responsible for heart disease, lung cancer, and sids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One government agency estimates that secondhand smoke exposure causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and up to 69,000 heart disease deaths each year among nonsmokers in the United States.