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May 28, 2 0 0 8
Page A5
H ealth MATTERS
H ealth W atch
Quitting Smoking can be Contagious
Peer influence
plays a role
(AP) — The urge to smoke is
contagious, but quitting apparently
is, too.
A team of researchers who
showed that obesity can spread
person-to-person has found a simi­
lar pattern with smoking cessation:
A smoker is more likely to kick the
habit if a spouse, friend, co-worker
or sibling did.
W hat's more, smokers tend to
quit in groups and those who don’t
stop puffing increasingly find them­
selves pushed to the edge of their
social circles, the researchers found.
“Your smoking behavior de­
pends upon not just the smoking
behavior of the people you know,
but also the people who they know”
and so on, said Dr. N icholas
Christakis of the Harvard Medical
School and lead author of the new
report.
The findings back up previous
studies showing that peer influ­
ence plays a key role in people’s
decision to stop lighting up and
provide evidence that the "buddy
system" used by smoking cessa­
tion, weight loss and alcoholism
programs to change addictive be­
havior works.
“Anecdotally, we hear people
say they quit smoking because their
When a spouse or friend stops smoking, the odds o f the other
continuing to smoke drops.
Teen Exercise Fights Cancer
(AP) - Get your daughters off
the couch: New research shows
exercise during the teen years —
starting as young as age 12 — can
help protect girls from breast can­
cer when they're grown. Middle-
aged women have long been ad­
vised to get active to lowyr their
risk of breast cancer after m eno­
pause.
W hat's new: That starting so
young pays off, too.
"This really points to the benefit
o f sustained physical activity from
adolescence through the adult
years, to get the maximum ben­
efit," said Dr. Graham Colditz of
W ashington University School of
spouse or friend quit,” said Jenni­
fer Unger, a smoking prevention
expert at the University of South­
ern California who had no role in the
study. "If you influence afew people,
those people might go on to help
others to quit.”
Last year, Christakis and a col­
league, James Fowler of the Univer­
sity of California, San Diego, pub­
lished a study suggesting that obe­
sity can spread among friends, much
like an infectious disease. The duo
mined data from a large social net­
work of people who had been fol­
lowed for three decades and found
that when one person gained
weight, close friends tended to pack
on the pounds, too.
Their latest study focused on
people's smoking habits in the same
social network.
Not surprisingly, the greatest
influence was seen in close rela­
tionships. When a spouse stops
smoking, the other partner is 67
percent less likely to smoke. Simi­
larly, when a friend quits, the odds
of the other continuing drops by 36
percent. The odds are similar among
co-workers and siblings.
«
The researchers also found, by
analyzing random samples of smok­
ing clusters, that whole groups
became nonsmokers over time.
People who rem ained smokers
found themselves moving to the
fringe of their social circles.
Ready o r Not? -- Thursday, May 28, from 6:30to 8:30 p.m.. learn how
to prepare your family for a major disaster. The class is free. To
register, call 503-335-3500.
Bereavement Support Groups - Free, confidential group meetings
for those who have experienced the death of a loved one offered on
various nights and locations. For information and registration, call
503-215-4622.
Childbirth Preparation -- Fridays, beginning May 30, from 7 to 9
p.m., the four-week series to help first-time parents prepare for a more
comfortable labor and delivery with lectures, practice and discus­
sions; $85 per couple. To register, call 503-574-6595.
Cardiac- Rehab Exercise Classes - A medically supervised exercise
program for people dealing with heart conditions. For more informa­
tion, call 503-251-6260.
Cancer Survivors Day -- Saturday. June I from 2 to4 p.m., at Legacy
Good Samaritan Hospital’s Building Three, Lower Level, cancer
survivors and their families, friends and care providers will come
together to celebrate life and unveil a new resource center. This free
event is open to the public. To register, call 503-335-3500.
Medical Volunteers - Wallace Medical Concern is welcoming Medi­
cal Assistants to volunteer at its Gresham Clinic. 254 N. W. Burnside
Road. Contact Cecily Peterson at 503-489-1760, ext 13, or e-mail
ceci lyp@ wallacemedical .org.
Lowers risk later in life
Avon Breast Cancer Walk participants pass the
Capitol in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo)
Medicine in St. Louis, the study's
lead author.
W omen who were physically
active as teens and young adults
were 23 percent less likely to de­
velop premenopausal breast cancer
than women who grew up seden­
tary, the researchers reported.
The biggest impact was regular
exercise from ages 12 to 22.
"This is not the extreme ath­
lete," Colditz cautioned.
T he w om en at lo w est risk
reported doing 3 hours and 15
m inutes o f running or other vig­
orous activity a week. For the
less athletic, 13 hours a week o f
w alking.
Toylike Lighters Bring Warning from Firefighters
Oregon firefighters are warning
consumers about novelty lighters.
“W e’ve known for some time
that children and even adults mis­
take these lighters as toys and end
up causing serious injury and even
death,’’says State Fire Marshal
Nancy Orr.
Recently, Maine and Tennessee
have issued statewide bans on the
sale of toylike lighters; and cities in
A rkansas and C alifornia have
passed local ordinances banning
the sale of these lighters.
The Oregon Office of State Fire
Marshal is introducing legislation
in 2(X)9 aimed at banning the sale of
toylike lighters in Oregon.
“T here’s no reason a lighter
should be designed to look like a
chi Id's toy," says Orr. "Lighters are
tools and contain a flammable liq­
uid. Making them attractive tochil-
dren is completely irresponsible."
Osteoporosis Screening -- An ultrasound bone-density screening
with personalized education; fee $30. To schedule an appointment,
call503-261-6611.
Arthritis Discoveries —Tuesday, June 3 from 10:30to 11:30 a.m .the
Oasis Center at Macy’s 4th Floor, downtown; $5 fee. For more
information, call 503-241 -3059.
Infant Massage - Wednesdays, beginning June 4. from 6:45 to 8 p.m.,
this four-week class teaches the rhythmic massage strokes designed
to relax your baby (up to 6 months) and you: $45 per couple and baby.
To register, call 503-574-6595.
Breaking the Cycle Men’s Conference - Saturday, June 7, from 8
a.m. to4 p.m.. Calvary Christian Center, I26N.E. Alberta Si., will host
the workshop for men of all ages to discuss health, nutrition,
addiction, communioation and other issues facing men today. To
register, call 503-422-8573.
Sm oking Cessation — Mondays, beginning June 9, from 7 to 8:30
p.m., this 11 -week series will provide support, coping skills, behavior
modification, medication, patches: everything needed to stop smok­
ing for a $225 fee. To register, call 503-574-6595.
Infant CPR - Monday, June 9 from 6 to 8 p.m.. for families with
infants' ages 1-12 months, teaching how to perform rescue breath­
ing. CPR and choking maneuvers. This is a non-certifying class; $34
fee per person. To register, call 503-574-6595.
Caregiver Resource Fair-Saturday, June 14 from 12:30to4p.m.at
the Legacy Emanuel Hospital Lorenzen Conference Center, the PBS
documentary "Caring for Your Parents" will explore the complex
issues of keeping an aging or disabled parent at home. This is a free
event. T o register, cal 1503-413-8018.
Big Brother & Big Sisters - Saturday, June 2 1 from 10 to 11 a.m.,
this special sibling class is forages 3-6. to help prepare them for their
new role as a big brother or sister. Parents must be present. To
register, call 503-574-6595.
Free Body Basics - This physician recommended class is appropri­
ate for all ages and health conditions. Plan to attend this one-session
class and learn the simple guidelines for safe exercises, including
stretching. Call 503-256-4000 to register.
M anaging Chronic Hepatitis C - Third W ednesday of each
month at 5 p.m., the informative session led by a registered nurse
to help manage side effects of m edications and dosage prepara­
tions and adm inistration; doctors referral required. To register,
call 503-251-6313.
Stroke A lert Screening — Check your carotid arteries with a painless
ultrasound to assess your risk. Fee $40. To schedule a screening, call
503-251-6137.
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