Fort Sill youths fight teen tobacco use

FORT SILL, Okla. -- Fort Sill Youth Services sponsored the Kick Butts Day anti-tobacco campaign March 21 during spring break.

Some 20 youths met at the Youth Center to learn more about the dangers of smoking and using tobacco products. This is the 17th year that the nationwide Kick Butts Day campaign has been observed. This year's theme is on the rising number of youths using tobacco products and how the tobacco industry is marketing to young people.

Vice Adm. Regina Benjamin, U.S. surgeon general, stated that youth tobacco use remains a "pediatric epidemic" that requires urgent attention.

Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 people and costing $96 billion in health care costs each year. Nationally, 19.5 percent of middle and high school students - more than 3.6 million - still smoke and another 1,000 youths become regular smokers every day. In Oklahoma alone, 20.2 percent of high school students smoke or use tobacco products.

"We're trying to teach the children the dangers of smoking, so that when they are faced with peer pressure they know what to tell their peers why they don't smoke," said Kimberly Nevins, Youth Center homework lab education technician. "We are doing posters today that will be put throughout the building that show the damage smoking can cause. They will also do T-shirts they can wear to make their friends aware of the dangers of smoking."

Zaria Worthington described the poster she helped make with Allen Hassenfelt and Alex Franco.

"This poster, to me, shows the effects of what smoking can do to your body and that you shouldn't give in to peer pressure because you could end up in a wheelchair, and having to live off of a machine," Worthington said. "That's not very cool."

Hassenfelt agreed with Worthington.

"I think it's very important for kids our age to learn about smoking and its harmful effects. It's a very expensive habit that can make you very sick," he said.

"It's something that we can't push enough, as far as the health risks that are involved," said Brooke Wilson, Youth Center director. " A lot of our teens like sports and so they need to know that smoking shouldn't be an option if they want to participate in those activities."

Wilson also added that they have several juniors and seniors who are already enlisted or are going to enlist in the military when they finish high school. They need to know that smoking is not an option for the physical training test that they have to pass.

Youths also heard a presentation from Kelda Hodges, Reynolds Army Community Hospital tobacco cessation and health promotions director. She showed a slide presentation to the teens about the dangers of using all tobacco products, not just cigarettes. This helps youths to be well-informed about the dangers of smoking and tobacco use.

The Youth Center is part of the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation directorate at Fort Sill, and provides programs that will help youth live healthier lives in a safe environment.

"We do individual counseling as well when we know that certain teens are smoking. We pull them aside and talk to them about their health and the dangers that are involved with smoking. Some of these kids will find ways to get them, no matter how expensive cigarettes are," Nevins added.

"It can be a very powerful message to young people who are going through things like this," added

Cordell Phillips, Worthington's older brother. "We've just got to teach them not to smoke."

"There is so much peer pressure out there, so much stress that kids go through," said Nevins. "We want to do everything we can to help them stop, or keep them from starting in the first place."