Clear the Air Between You and Your Kids This Fathers Day: Stop Smoking

The American Lung Association of Texas encourages fathers to quit smoking as a Father's Day gift to their kids.

If theres a fog of smoke between you and your kids, why not take the initiative this Fathers Day to clear the air by quitting smoking?

The American Lung Association of Texas says the Fathers Day holiday on June 15 is an excellent opportunity for fathers who smoke to start the process of quitting, not only for the sake of their own health, but for the health of their children who have to breathe in the secondhand smoke at home and in the car.

Fathers, as parents, have a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment for their children. Therefore, fathers who smoke need to realize that smoking doesnt just affect their health, it also affects the health of their wives and children. So were encouraging every father who smokes to quit smoking as a gift to his family for Fathers Day. It will be a gift the entire family can enjoy," said Edward Carter, president and chief executive officer of the American Lung Association of Texas.

Every year, more than 440,000 people in the U.S., including 26,000 Texans, die from smoking-related illnesses. Men who smoke are 22 times more likely to die from lung cancer, and 10 times more likely to die from bronchitis and emphysema, than men who dont smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke is especially harmful to infants and children, increasing the risk of lower respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and the number of episodes and severity of asthma. Secondhand smoke also causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000 heart disease deaths each year among adult non-smokers.

The American Lung Association of Texas offers several quit smoking programs, including Freedom From Smoking Online, a free, 24-hour, web-based program that helps smokers to quit in the privacy of their home, at their own pace. For more information about the Freedom From Smoking Online program or other smoking cessation programs offered by the American Lung Association of Texas, call 1-800-LUNG-USA, or visit www.texaslung.org.

The American Lung Association of Texas is committed to fighting lung disease, a leading cause of preventable death and disability, and promoting lung health for all Texans through education, advocacy, research and community programs.

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