Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center Promotes the "Great American Spit Out"

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- The Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) is ramping up efforts to encourage smokeless tobacco users to quit the habit as part of the Great American Spit Out (GASpO), Feb. 21.

Celebrated every February, GASpO events are held nationwide in an effort to get smokeless tobacco users to stay tobacco-free for 24 hours.

Similar to the Great American Smoke Out (GASO) held each November, GASpO is a focused initiative designed to create awareness about the hazards of tobacco use and provide tips, tools and resources that promote tobacco-free living.

NMCPHC provides online information and resources for users, health promoters and others - including supporters, to help quit tobacco.

"We'd like to encourage anyone who uses smokeless tobacco to quit," said Cmdr. Connie Scott, NMCPHC Health Promotion and Wellness department head. "In addition to being expensive, tobacco products negatively affect dental and medical readiness."

According to Scott, NMCPHC's GASpO outreach is part of their overall health promotion and wellness strategy and directly supports the Department of Defense Operation Live Well, the Secretary of the Navy's 21st Century Sailor and Marine Initiative, and is closely aligned to the U.S. Surgeon General's National Prevention Strategy.

Based upon information recently released in DoD's latest Health Related Behaviors Survey of Active Duty Military Personnel, 19.5 percent of active duty service members had used smokeless tobacco in 2012. In the DoN, 16.9 percent of active duty Sailors and 31.9 percent of active duty Marines were reported as current smokeless tobacco users.

"There are many excellent and free resources for Sailors and Marines to use when they are ready to quit using smokeless tobacco," said Dr. Mark Long, NMCPHC health educator. "It also helps to have several good reasons for quitting, a plan and good support from family and friends."

For more information about tobacco-free living, visit http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcphc/health-promotion/tobacco-free-living/Pages/ready-to-quit-tobacco.aspx.

Additional resources are available through state and national Quit-Lines (1-800-QUITNOW), Train2Quit at www.ucanquit2.org, and military treatment facilities world-wide.

For more news from Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, visit www.navy.mil/local/nmcphc/.