NHS students learn tocbacco dangers

 

March 29, 2018

Sandi Gubel

SMOKER'S LUNG ­­- Noxon HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) member Shane Westman tells younger students (back) Brianna Horner and Farrah Boehme and (front) Ashton Anderson, Ethan Burgess and DJ Ringleka that this pig lung is made to resemble a tobacco smoker's, at one educational station for Kick Butts Day.

Health. Epidemics. Statistics. Tobacco use.

Kaitlynd (KT) Todd, 23, is studying epidemiology (the study of epidemics) and biostatistics (the study of health statistics) as a master of public health student at University of California-Berkeley.

As a college student, she is also in the Truth Initiative's fellowship program.

Because she cares deeply about the impacts of tobacco on health and environments, she shared last week with Noxon High School students, how she has pursued all of the above.

With what she explained as a low income upbringing in which "almost every family member was addicted to something," the first generation college student from Florida, said this was her first trip to Montana, and that Noxon is the smallest town she's ever been to.

Todd was invited by HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) student leader Phalyn Fickas. Fickas attended the Truth Summit in Washington, D.C. last summer with fellow Noxon students Delaney Weltz, Ethan Henrichsen and Devin Hamby.

Todd encouraged other Noxon students to apply to this year's summit, which is an opportunity to learn how to create changes they want to see in the world.

As part of her fellowship, in addition to coming to Noxon, Todd worked to enact policy that makes the apartment co-op she lives in, tobacco-free. This lessens exposure of 360 Berkeley students to secondhand smoke (SHS) effects.

As a total, she said, 41,000 nonsmoking adults are killed by exposure to SHS. Even pet cats bear the impact of smoke exposure. They are twice as likely to get cancer if their owner smokes.

American nonsmokers, 58 million of them, are affected by SHS, even with various smoke-free laws in place, Todd said. The highest percentage of unwanted exposure is at building entrances.

Truth, the national movement of young people to make this the last generation of tobacco users, is also active in a movement asking for a ban on menthol cigarettes.

The collective organization of young people is also working to lobby Walgreens drug stores to discontinue sale of tobacco products, honoring the company's slogan of "at the corner of happy and healthy."

Over 13 percent of Montana high school students smoke, and almost 30 percent use electronic cigarettes. Smoking contributes to over 28 percent of deaths in Montana, said Sanders County Tobacco Prevention Specialist Sandra Gubel.

"It was great to have Kaitlynd share these messages with Noxon students," she said. Gubel also lauded the HOSA and National Honor Society students who put on what has become an annual Noxon event – Kick Butts Day activities and education stations for first through sixth graders in the school gym.

While collecting health-related stickers for participation, the primary students participated in five stations:

A "diseased" pig lung and "Mr. Gross Mouth" were visual examples, as they heard about the effects of smoking and smokeless "chew" tobacco use;

Using coffee straws to blow marshmallows across a table, students learned that tobacco use reduces the function of the body's lungs, and that if they want healthy lungs, they should be tobacco-free;

Playing tac-toe games, they heard that like with the game, tobacco use presents risks;

Matching photos of tobacco forms in a "concentration" game; and,

Creating non-tobacco use messages with sidewalk art, students signed a banner pledging to #BetheFirst generation of non-tobacco users.

For more information on the Sanders County Tobacco Prevention Program, call 827-6901.

 

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