Seventeen percent of NIU students smoke daily, according to a survey conducted by NIU Health Enhancement Services.

Survey data collected by HES of the University Health Service in the spring of 2002 showed that about 69 percent of NIU students don’t smoke at all and 14 percent smoke occasionally.

“Many students don’t realize that the majority of college students don’t smoke,” said Mary Strohm, a health educator at HES, “and most of those who smoke regularly want to quit.”

Nine out of 10 students who smoke want to quit, Strohm said. Side effects from smoking can include cancer and heart disease as well as shortness of breath, persistent coughing and fatigue.

Smoking may cause a decrease in one’s sense of taste and smell as well, Strohm said.

“There are two main reasons why people smoke,” Strohm said. “The nicotine in cigarettes is highly addictive, and once somebody starts smoking, it becomes very difficult to quit. Some people enjoy the social aspects of smoking, such as hanging out with friends who smoke or smoking at parties and/or bars.”

Benefits of quitting smoking include: saving money, increased energy levels, cleaner smell, elimination of a social stigma of being a smoker and freedom from the addiction or control cigarettes play in someone’s life, Strohm said.

All residence hall rooms and buildings have been completely smoke-free since the start of the summer 2003 session. Residents who choose to smoke need to leave their hall and smoke in designated locations outside of the hall.

“As most of us have observed in other settings, when smoking is no longer allowed within a building, those who choose to smoke gravitate toward the closest and most weather-protected areas available,” said David Dunlap, coordinator of marketing and public relations for Student Housing and Dining Services. “Residential Facilities researched and purchased furnishings for the external smoking areas in order to make the locations more attractive and useful for those who smoke.”

“There is a strong nationwide movement towards eliminating indoor smoking to help protect people from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke,” Strohm said. “Data collected on campus showed strong support from NIU students for making the residence halls smoke-free.”

Strohm said smokers should be aware of how their habits affect themselves.

“It’s important for people to be aware of the risks associated with behaviors they engage in, and it’s also important for people who smoke to know about the many benefits that can be achieved from quitting.”

Healthy lifestyle tips

-Within 20 minutes after you smoke the last cigarette, your body begins a series of changes that continue for years.

-Twenty minutes after quitting, your heart rate drops.

-Twelve hours after quitting, carbon monoxide levels in your blood drop to normal.

-Two weeks to three months after quitting, your heart-attack risk begins to drop and your lung function begins to improve.

-One to nine months after quitting, coughing and shortness of breath decrease.

-One year after quitting, your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

-Five years after quitting, your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smokers.

-Ten years after quitting, your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker’s.

-Fifteen years after quitting, your risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a non-smoker.

Source: www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/ sgr_2004/posters/20mins.htm