Help in quitting smoking

Every year, Mainers join the millions of Americans who make it their New Year’s resolution to attempt one of the hardest challenges: to quit smoking. Most smokers in Maine already want to quit, and many will select the beginning of 2008 as the target for improving their health and embarking on a fresh start.

Besides the promise of better health, experts predict a large spike in those motivated to quit due to financial reasons: It’s never been more expensive to smoke in Maine. The average smoker in the state pays almost $1,500 per year for cigarettes.

But the unfortunate fact is that most people won’t keep their resolution to quit if they do not seek help and support. For every smoker who successfully quits each year, many more make attempts but do not succeed.

The Maine Tobacco HelpLine has been proven to work for thousands of people across the state. Whether someone has been using tobacco for decades or just a few years, the chances for success go up dramatically with assistance from the HelpLine.

With one of the highest call volumes in the nation, the toll-free HelpLine has experienced a steady increase in demand for services since its inception in 2001. And New Year’s Day begins the HelpLine’s busiest time.

“We always see a tremendous spike in calls right after the holidays,” said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, Maine’s chief health officer and director of the Maine CDC in the Department of Health and Human Services. “Mainers traditionally pledge to open the New Year with significant lifestyle changes, and with the additional financial pressures individuals are facing, we’re preparing for an even bigger surge this year.”

Typically, during the quarter following New Year’s, the Maine HelpLine receives a 40-percent increase in calls. The HelpLine offers free and confidential resources for those thinking about quitting or who are ready to quit smoking.

Personal coaching through the HelpLine has been proven to be three times more effective than an attempt to quit without support. In addition to coaching, the HelpLine provides a variety of services to help people quit, including nicotine replacement medication for qualifying individuals. The majority of callers, about 92 percent, are tobacco users. However, advice and coaching also are available to those who want to help a friend or family member quit.

“We know that most smokers will want to try quitting this year, but we also know how powerful tobacco addiction can be,” Mills said. “That’s why the HelpLine’s services are important for anyone who wants to quit smoking. If an individual has tried to quit before without success, we are encouraging them to try again, with our help, in 2008.”

The Maine Tobacco HelpLine is administered by the Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine, Maine CDC, Department of Health and Human Services.

The HelpLine’s toll-free number is 800-207-1230.

Relay for Life rally

BANGOR – The public is invited to join millions of other American Cancer Society Relay For Life participants across the country in the fight against cancer.

Find out how to get involved in the annual Relay For Life of Old Town at a Relay Rally 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, at the Bangor Banquet and Conference Center, 713 Hogan Road. A dinner will be served.

Anyone interested in joining the planning committee, becoming a team captain, volunteering or just finding out more about Relay For Life is encouraged to attend the rally.

Relay teams representing families, clubs, religious and civic organizations, neighborhoods and corporations will join the race to beat cancer by celebrating survivorship and taking turns walking around the track. Teams are encouraged to enjoy the great music, food and camaraderie of the event.

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s largest signature event as well as the most successful national fundraiser. Nationwide, Relay For Life raised more than $400 million in fiscal year 2007 in more than 4,500 communities with more than 3.5 million participants celebrating 500,000 cancer survivors.

Nineteen Relay For Life events in Maine raised more than $1.5 million last year for cancer research, education, advocacy and patient services. These include transportation for cancer patients to treatments, one-on-one support for women with breast cancer, cosmetologist consultations for women being treated for cancer, tobacco control education and mammography outreach.

To obtain more information about Relay For Life, to find out how to volunteer, or to RSVP for the Relay Rally, call Mike Hart at 989-0332.

Great American Health Check

With a new year around the corner and resolutions already in place, now is the time to take the Great American Health Check and plan for a healthy 2008 and beyond.

The American Cancer Society is celebrating another year with the Great American Health Check on Jan. 17 by urging Americans to remember one important message – get the appropriate cancer screening tests that can detect the disease at its earliest, most treatable stage can save lives.

The Great American Health Check is an online health evaluation tool available at

www.cancer.org/greatamericans, where users learn which cancer early detection tests they should take to find cancer early when treatment is more likely to be successful, or to reduce their risk of cancer through healthy behavior recommendations. Go to www.cancer.org and click on the topics under Healthy Resources. The test is quick, easy and anonymous.

Easy-to-use and confidential, the interactive online tool allows users to enter age, gender, height, weight, family history of cancer, dietary habits, physical activity levels, and alcohol and tobacco use for themselves or a loved one.

The tool in turn provides recommendations for diet, physical activity, and tobacco cessation to help lower a person’s risk for certain cancers, and the resulting health action plan that is created can be shared with your doctor or health care provider.

According to Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts & Figures 2007, much of the suffering and death from cancer could be prevented by reducing or eliminating tobacco use, improving diet and physical activity, and expanding the use of established screening tests. Cancers that can be prevented or detected earlier by screening account for about 50 percent of all new cancer cases.

While age is the greatest risk factor for some types of cancer, factors such as family history and lifestyle can put you at greater risk and may indicate a need to begin testing earlier. There is strong scientific evidence that healthy dietary patterns such as eating five or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day, in combination with regular physical activity, are needed to maintain a healthy body weight and reduce cancer risk.

In addition, screening tests can detect cancers of the breast, colon, cervix, prostate and skin at early stages, when treatment is more likely to be successful. Furthermore, tests for cervical and colorectal cancer may detect changes in cells before they become cancerous.

The Great American Health Check is part of the American Cancer Society Great American Health Challenge, a year-round initiative that encourages Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce their risk of cancer. More information on the Great American Health Challenge is available at www.cancer.org/greatamericans or by calling 800-ACS-2345.

Weight loss surgery support

BANGOR – The Weight Loss Surgery Support Group has a new schedule for its meetings in the Mason Auditorium at Eastern Maine Medical Center:

. 5-7 p.m. first Tuesdays.

. 4:30-6:30 p.m. first Fridays.

. 5-7 p.m. third Tuesdays.

For information, call 973-6383.

AARP Andrus Award

In recognition of exemplary volunteerism and outstanding dedication to service in his community, Bruce Kinney of Rockland has been named as the Maine recipient of Maine AARP’s most prestigious volunteer award, the 2007 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service.

Kinney received this honor on Nov. 28 during a luncheon ceremony in Augusta.

“Bruce Kinney inspires people to believe in themselves,” said AARP Maine state director Jud Dolphin. “In doing so, he has not only been their leader, he has helped them become leaders in their own right.

“AARP has long celebrated and recognized the achievements and important contributions of dedicated volunteers across the country,” Dolphin said. “It’s through the efforts of Mr. Kinney and all volunteers in the state that AARP has been able to enhance the lives of our members and their families and address community concerns in Maine.”

Education has been a central theme of Kinney’s life. The eighth of 10 children, he enlisted in the Air Force after two years at a teachers’ college and teaching in Ashland and Carroll. As gunnery instructor in the 417th Bomb Squadron, he served in the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan.

On discharge, he returned to the University of Maine and to the classroom in Princeton and South Paris. He later became superintendent for Union 27 in Dixfield and later in Rockland, serving as a superintendent for 30 years. After retiring, he served for 10 years as state director of migrant education for Maine.

A longtime resident of Rockland, Kinney has been active in many civic activities, including the Lobster Festival. He has been president of Rotary, a member of the City Council and mayor.

Kinney has served his community and state in many ways through volunteering with AARP – as an ombudsman with the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, instructor for the Safe Driving course, Tax Aide volunteer and chairman of the Legislative Advocacy Committee for AARP Maine.

In preparing to accept the AARP Andrus Award for Community Service, Kinney said, “I am happy to receive this award, not only in recognition of my volunteer work but as a way to bring into focus the opportunities we all have to help each other. I do it for the satisfaction of working with other people, to meet new people and to help older people get a fair shake in life,” he said.

The AARP Andrus Award for Community Service is given annually to one AARP member in every state. Criteria include how their volunteer work positively affects the lives of individuals 50 and over, improves the community and inspires others to volunteer.