Breathe easy during World No Tobacco Day Published May 14, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Benjamin W. Stratton 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- According to the World Health Organization, the global tobacco epidemic kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which 600,000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. World No Tobacco Day encourages millions worldwide May 31 to say no to tobacco use and squash the plant's growing death toll. "Tobacco usage remains a serious problem throughout our military," said Will Saultes, the Fairchild Health Promotion Program coordinator. "Smoking has traditionally been a staple of the military, but it's time we changed the culture with your help." Twenty-four percent of uniformed service men and women smoke cigarettes and 12 percent use smokeless tobacco, according to the 2011 Health Related Behaviors Survey on active duty service members. Combined, that's 14 percent higher than the civilian smoking rate. According to a recent study at Fairchild, the installation's smoking rate is presently 11.3 percent; down from 15.4 percent at the end of 2012. "Our goal for the end of this year is to be under 10 percent," Saultes said. "While our tobacco rates have decreased considerably since the end of 2012, our smokeless tobacco rates have increased during the same period. We need to think in terms of reducing our dependence for all forms of tobacco." The ultimate goal of World No Tobacco Day is to contribute to protecting present and future generations not only from the devastating health consequences due to tobacco, but also from the social, environmental and economic scourges of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke. "World no tobacco day is an initiative run by the World Health Organization," said Saultes. "The aim of the event is to inform the public about the dangers of using tobacco." This year, the World Health Organization is campaigning for governments to increase taxes on tobacco to levels that reduce tobacco consumption and for individuals and civil society organizations to encourage their governments to increase taxes on tobacco to levels that reduce consumption. "Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally, and is currently responsible for 10 percent of adult deaths worldwide," Saultes said. For more information on how to become a non-tobacco user, contact the Fairchild Health and Wellness Center at (509) 247-5590 or visit the Defense Department-funded "Quit Tobacco: Make Everyone Proud" website at http://www.ucanquit2.org/. "The steps needed to begin your tobacco free journey are quick and easy because our goal for you is to become a non-tobacco user," said Saultes.