Five Minutes or Less for Health Weekly Tip: Be Smoke-Free

Tobacco use can lead to tobacco/nicotine dependence and serious health problems. Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term benefits for you and your loved ones. Take a few minutes to make the decision to be smoke-free. Stopping smoking is associated with the following health benefits:

• Lowered risk for lung cancer and many other types of cancer.
• Reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.
• Reduced heart disease risk within 1 to 2 years of quitting.
• Reduced respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
• Reduced risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
• Reduced risk for infertility in women of reproductive age. Women who stop smoking during pregnancy also reduce their risk of having a low birth weight baby. There is also less risk that the baby will be born too early.

If you smoke, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or your doctor or nurse for help in quitting.

Learn More

• Quitting Smoking
• Smoking and Pregnancy
• Smoking and Tobacco Use
• Let’s Make the Next Generation Tobacco Free (US Surgeon General)
• Great American Smokeout