It’s Time to Kick Butts
Women and Children’s Hospital plans tobacco education events for National Kick Butts Day on March 21

Lake Charles, La. (March 16, 2012) – Students across Lake Charles will join thousands of young people across the country who will take part in Kick Butts Day on Wednesday, March 21 - a nationwide initiative that encourages America’s young people to become leaders in the effort to stop youth tobacco use.  As part of the Kick Butts Day celebration, nurses and staff from Women & Children’s Hospital will be providing interactive and educational activities at A. A. Nelson Elementary, McNeese State University, SOWELA Technical Community College and Women & Children’s Hospital. 

Throughout the year, young advocates take part in a variety of activities to protect kids and young adults from tobacco, including working with elected officials to develop policies that reduce youth tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke and educating their peers about tobacco companies’ deceptive marketing practices.

 “The tobacco companies make smoking look cool in their ads, but that’s far from the truth,” said Sherry Forest, DNP, APRN, NNP, tobacco prevention project coordinator at WCH. “There’s nothing cool about bad breath, smelly clothes, tobacco-stained teeth and putting your health at risk for a variety of diseases such as lung or oral cancers, as well as respiratory problems. As a healthcare professional, I am very excited to bring this event and education to Lake Area students and hope we can prevent them from beginning to use tobacco or motivate them to stop.  We encourage the students and visitors at all of the event sites to stop by and participate,” added Forest.

Kick Butts Day Schedule of Events:

A. A. Nelson Elementary School                               8 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
McNeese State University – Student Union              9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
SOWELA Technical Community College                    11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Women & Children’s Hospital – Main Lobby             11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

“Young people are a powerful part of the solution to reducing youth tobacco use,” said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which coordinates Kick Butts Day.  “For Kick Butts Day 2012, kids are sending two important messages: they want the tobacco industry to stop targeting them with advertising and they want elected leaders at all levels to do more to protect them from tobacco.”

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 people every year. Every day, more than 4,000 kids try their first cigarettes; another 1,000 kids become addicted smokers, one-third of whom will die prematurely as a result. Tobacco-Free Kids strives to build a healthier future for our children by reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.

For more information about the Lake Area Kick Butts Day events, contact Sherry Forest at 337-475-4102 or sherry.forest@women-childrens.com.  For information on the national initiative, visit the Kick Butts Day website at kickbuttsday.org.