Health Department celebrates National Non-Smoking Week January 15 to 21

Whitby, Ontario - National Non-Smoking Week is January 15 to 21. Durham Region Health Department will celebrate by reminding everyone that it’s never too late to quit smoking and encouraging them to “Don’t Quit Quitting!” This week has been recognized across Canada for more than 30 years and is observed annually to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use.

“The start of a new year is often a time when people reflect on their health,” said Joanne Huizinga, a public health nurse with the Health Department. “National Non-Smoking Week is an ideal time for residents to consider improving their health by quitting smoking or vaping. We encourage individuals to talk to their healthcare providers about various strategies that can help them quit smoking or vaping.”

As of 2020, research indicates that 10 per cent of Canadian adults were cigarette smokers, which represents over three million people nationally. In Ontario, tobacco is responsible for 16,000 deaths every year. Research from 2020 also shows that among people 15 and older who smoke cigarettes daily, 39 per cent had made at least one quit attempt lasting 24 hours.

E-cigarettes are also concerning as youth are at risk of becoming addicted to nicotine in e-cigarettes as these products often contain added flavours that may appeal to youth and attract them to start using tobacco and vapour products. Research shows that between 2017 and 2019, there was a 112 per cent increase in vaping among Canadian youth 16 to 19-years old.

The Health Department offers a number of resources to help support individuals who want to quit smoking and vaping. Visit durham.ca/tobaccoandvaping to learn more about:

• The benefits of quitting.
• How to manage withdrawal symptoms and triggers.
• Making your quit plan.
• Quit smoking medications and community supports.

Other community supports offered to individuals who want to quit smoking or vaping include:

• Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) on the Net Program, a province-wide initiative delivering smoking cessation treatment and counselling support to people who want to reduce/quit their tobacco use. This program is available free of charge through partnerships with community health care organizations. STOP on the Net is an online program to help individuals quit smoking cigarettes from the comfort of their home and receive free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches and gum/lozenges mailed to their address. For more details, visit https://www.nicotinedependenceclinic.com/en/stop/home
• Smoke Free Curious – First Week Challenge, a contest sponsored by Smoke Free Curious challenging participants to quit smoking for a chance to win $500. For more details visit https://www.smokefreecurious.ca/s/quit-contest?language=en_US
• The Stop Vaping Challenge App, a free app available on Apple IOS and Android devices that provides a venue for youth to reflect on their vaping behaviours and patterns in a fun and social way, encouraging youth to quit with friends. For more details, visit https://www.otru.org/
• Quashapp.com is a smoking and vaping cessation program for youth and adults 14 to 30-years old which was co-designed with youth and is available across Canada. This free mobile app is available in English and French from the Apple App store and Google Play store and provides supports to a diverse group of youth (i.e., 2SLGBTQI+ youth, Indigenous youth, Francophone youth) and their adult allies. For more details, visit https://www.quashapp.com/

For more information on quitting smoking and vaping, tobacco and vaping use prevention, and protection from exposure to second-hand smoke and vapour, visit durham.ca/tobaccoandvaping. Information is also available on this website about the Durham Region Smoking and Vaping By-law and the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017.

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For more information, please contact the Health Department