Smoking causes a big health problem and also affects other people as second-hand smoke, said Ramah Leith
Health Concerns
Ramah Leith, a Peer Education Program coordinator of the Health Center, agrees that cigarettes butts on the ground are a serious problem and that the groundskeepers of the university always work hard to clean them up. However, the approach of the Health Center is based on health concerns for students, not on how the campus looks, she added.
"The more ashtrays we put [out], the more smoking areas we promote," she said. "So I am not sure it is a good tactic."
Leith worries about smokers' health because smoking is the number-one cause of lung cancer. She said that smoking is addictive and that it is hard to quit, but she encourages doing it for good health. Second-hand smoke is also a problem, she added.
Area B in the UO Health Center, 1590 East 13th Street, Eugene
Service:
Quit-smoking advice and free nicotine patches/gum
Phone Number:
541-346-4456
The Web site:
http://healthed.uoregon.edu
According to the annual survey of the Health Center 2004, 22 percent of UO students smoke, and 80 percent of them want to quit smoking or are in the process of quitting. Leith said many people start smoking in junior high school because of pressure and social problems, but many want to quit smoking after becoming more realistic.
The Health Center serves as an education program and a support group to encourage students to quit smoking, according to Leith. The Peer Education Program teaches how students can quit cigarettes, and the support group helps students stop smoking through consulting.
"If you are interested in [those programs], that will be fabulous," she said.
Also, the Health Center has provided free nicotine patches and gum since Fall 2003, and about 150 students came to try them, she said. If people plan to quit smoking, they should call 346-4456 for an appointment or more information, Leith added.
Page: 1. Front Page 2. The New Ashtray 3. Health Concerns