The Grey Bruce Health Unit is promoting a new program that targets young smokers.
Health Promoter Mathew MacLeod says their aim is to get young people in the 20 to 24 age range to kick the habit.
MacLeod notes that age range represents the largest group of people who smoke in the province, and yet they remain the hardest demographic to reach because they don’t often access traditional media outlets like radio and newspapers.
With that in mind, MacLeod says they are using Facebook and social media to get their message out.
MacLeod says Facebook users can use an application called “The Quit Exchange” which encourages friends of smokers to offer up something in exchange for quitting.
For example, MacLeod tells Bayshore Broadcasting News you can offer a buddy foot rubs for a month if they manage to quit smoking.
MacLeod says the app can be accessed through the Grey Bruce Health Unit’s Facebook page, or by going to dontquitquitting.ca.
Also available on the page is a Quit Counter that allows users to track their progress, such as the amount of money saved and the number of cigarettes not smoked.
If a user slips up, they can hit the “No Regrets Reset Button” and start all over again.
MacLeod notes research has shown that it often takes smokers several attempts to quit smoking, and those attempts should be celebrated even if they aren’t successful right away.
