Photo By Shauna C Sowersby | NHB staff participate in a pumpkin seed spitting contest for the 'Great American Spit...... read more read more
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Shauna C. Sowersby, Naval Hospital Bremerton Public Affairs
BREMERTON, Wash. - There was actual spitting at Naval Hospital Bremerton for the annual “Great American Spit Out” as pumpkin seeds replaced smokeless tobacco on Feb. 18, 2016.
A pumpkin seed spitting contest was held immediately after NHB’s “Great American Spit Out” 5K Fun Run to encourage those who use chewing tobacco, or “dip”, to stay tobacco free for at least one day, and raise awareness that there are healthy options to use instead of tobacco products.
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Michael Seymour from the NHB Health Promotion and Wellness department and Patrick W. Graves, Naval Hospital Bremerton Tobacco Cessation Facilitator, organized the event.
“We’re here to support the Great American Spit Out by raising awareness for people who want to quit,” said Seymour. “This event benefits Active Duty service members or their beneficiaries who struggle with quitting.”
Seymour noted that just organizing the event has had two 5K participants already share that they have friends who have indicated a desire to quit and are in need of guidance.
“We also have another two who have also contacted me about giving up their chewing tobacco habit. Between Health Promotion and our Tobacco Cessation Facilitator, we can provide them with everything they need to succeed to wean off from dipping,” Seymour said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chewing tobacco has two to three more times the amount of nicotine as cigarettes, making it even more addictive than smoking. Because of the harmful chemicals found in chewing tobacco, its use can lead to cancer of the mouth, esophagus, pancreas, stomach and colon. Gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss are also some potential risks of dipping.
"Chewing tobacco is a dangerous concept with definite health risks. A dip of chew has 28 cancer-causing carcinogens. If you have cardiac risk factors and have symptoms like recurrent chest pains, high blood pressure, recurring cough, or shortness of breath, you might want to ask yourself that if you're holding out for the worst-case scenario, it's already happened. Chewing tobacco is subtle and slow," explained Graves.
Data compiled by the Department of Defense states that chewing tobacco is used by 19 percent of 18- to 24-year-old military males, approximately twice the national average.
Navy and Marine Corps personnel tend to be better informed than the general public about the inherent dangers of tobacco usage but getting the information out is only half the struggle. It's up to the individual’s actions and behavior.
"We might know more but due to our demographics, but we tend to smoke and dip 35 to 50 percent more than our civilian counterparts," said Graves.
Seymour said that long hours and strenuous work make it even more difficult for service members to quit.
“It takes a user an average of six times of quitting to finally quit for good,” said Seymour, “We work with individuals on their habits, triggers and from there set a quit date by developing a quit plan to help them execute their goal.”
The usual cooldown after a 5K is not usually a pumpkin seed spitting contest, but the quirky event was a hit amongst the 15 fun run participants who took part.
Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gretchen Albrecht claimed first place with a distance of approximately 12 feet.
Anyone who is thinking of quitting cigarettes or chewing/smokeless tobacco to contact their primary care doctor, unit/ship/boat corpsman, NHB's Tobacco Cessation Facilitator office at patrick.w.graves2.civ@mail.mil or (360)475-4818, or on the Department of Defense website at http://www.ucanquit2.org/.
| Date Taken: | 02.18.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.22.2016 16:52 |
| Story ID: | 189694 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 274 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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