Worksite Wellness Tobacco Policy Program (WWTPP)

The Wellness Council of West Virginia is committed to positively impacting an organization’s ability to succeed by improving the health and well-being of its most vital asset, the employee. 

WCWV strives to demonstrate that a healthy workforce is a productive workforce and that with healthier workers, absenteeism declines, health benefit costs are lowered, and work satisfaction, recruitment and retention increases.

As the state’s primary resource for worksite wellness, the WCWV has a solid record of assisting employers in achieving excellence in worksite wellness.  Offering a variety of programs and services, the WCWV is an essential partner for organizations seeking to contain health and disability costs, and improve worker health and productivity.

For over 20 years, the WCWV has provided West Virginia with its number one training opportunity for Worksite Wellness initiatives- the Governor’s Conference on Worksite Wellness.  Additionally, the Council has provided well workplace trainings for hundreds of state businesses and business people.

The Wellness Council of West Virginia provides tobacco cessation resources and support to WV businesses through the Worksite Wellness Tobacco Policy Project- a program funded by the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health. 

Services include:

  • Free consultation to encourage creation and/or modification of tobacco restriction policies in order to meet or exceed applicable Clean Indoor Air regulations
  • Free Train the Trainer programs to empower on-site employers/employees to facilitate their customized cessation and/or wellness programs
  • Free manual “ Building a Tobacco-Free Worksite”
  • Free Quit resources to support employers and employees in cessation programming
  • Free one year membership to the Wellness Council of West Virginia
  • Free on-site health fair exhibits
  • Free Lunch n Learn (at work ) programs
  • Invitations to regional trainings on pertinent worksite issues to network and obtain information on tobacco cessation and other related worksite wellness issues

SECONDHAND SMOKE

  • also known as ETS, or environmental tobacco smoke

  • a complex mixture of chemicals (200 poisons and 43 cancer-causing agents) emitted from a lit tobacco product AND from smoke exhaled by a smoker

NOT JUST A NUISANCE – A SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEM

  • linked to heart disease and lung cancer

  • causes 53,000 U.S. deaths per year

  • kills more Americans than murder, drugs, and AIDS combined women who live with smoker have 91% greater risk of heart disease and twice the risk of dying from lung cancer

CHILDREN ARE AFFECTED

  • Children exposed to secondhand smoke by smoking parents can inhale the equivalent of 102 packs of cigarettes by age 5 have more respiratory problems, hospitalizations and school absences

  • suffer more from bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections and asthma

  • are four times more likely to die from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)

  • more likely to develop asthma (up to 26,000/year)

BOUNDARIES NOT EFFECTIVE

  • creating separate non-smoking areas does not protect nonsmokers

  • only 15% of smoke inhaled by smoker – remaining 85% remains to be inhaled by everyone else to breathe

**Source: Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco (www.mpaat.org)

NICOTINE ADDICTION

  • One of the most highly-addictive substances affecting the human body

  • Does not cause cancer, but is the addictive agent in tobacco

  • The brain feels the effects of nicotine in less than ten seconds

  • Like other addictive substances, including cocaine and alcohol, nicotine stimulates increases in dopamine

  • Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates the reward pathway in the brain, creating positive reinforcement for continued smoking

NICOTINE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS
Can last 2-4 weeks and include:

  • Depressed Mood

  • Irritability, Frustration

  • Difficulty Concentrating

  • Anxiety

  • Anger

  • Insomnia

  • Cravings

NICOTINE REPLACEMENT THERAPY (NRT)
 (includes the patch, gum, inhaler & nasal spray)

PURPOSE:

  • Relief of withdrawal symptoms

  • Reducing hand-to-mouth habit

  • Making nicotine independent of environmental triggers

  • NRT DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER – Does not contain cancer-causing agents present in cigarettes

  • In addition to these helpful aids to reduce cravings, a non-NRT pill (Zyban) is available by prescription. Zyban can be used along with NRT products.

TOBACCO CESSATION FACTS AND TIPS

  • Most smokers want to quit – 17 million try to quit each year

  • Average number of quit attempts is 4-7 tries

  • Most users start before age 18 and become addicted very quickly

  • Fear of failure, along with concerns about coping with stress and weight gain, common reasons for reluctance to quit

  • Support and understanding by family members, friends and co-workers important factor for tobacco users when trying to quit.

ALL QUIT ATTEMPTS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

  • previous quit attempts should be viewed as “practice” runs, not failures

  • with each attempt, smoker learns strategies which can help in future tries

TO MAXIMIZE SUCCESS RATES, SMOKERS SHOULD CONSIDER INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:

  • COMPONENTS AND STRATEGIES:

    • Nicotine Replacement Therapy and/or ZyBAN

    • Cessation Support Group or Individual Counseling

    • Preparing for Quit Day by learning how to use NRT’s correctly, getting rid of cigarettes, planning to stay busy, preparing for “trigger” situations, having healthy snacks and water available, and lining up support persons to call on

    • Identifying some stress relief and coping mechanisms (walking is excellent for stress relief, and research shows it is effective in helping tobacco users quit and stay quit

  • KEYS TO SUCCESS

    • Knowing what to expect and being prepared

  • TIPS FROM SUCCESSFUL QUITTERS-Why it finally worked this time!

    • Being ready and determined in own mind to quit

    • Having support from others, both social and spiritual (prayer)

    • Staying busy – cravings only last 3-5 minutes

    • Drinking lots of water

    • Exercise