Shock Tactics Employed To Encourage People To Stop Smoking In Hull
Stop smoking advisers are using shock tactics to encourage people to quit smoking in Hull. The Tobacco Education Resource Centre, which is located on Walker Street, is exhibiting some gruesome items in a bid to discourage smoking.
Dawn Martin, from the Tobacco Education Resource Centre, said that giving out information sheets and leaflets doesn’t have an impact. However, visual displays of how smoking affects the body will hopefully encourage more people to give up smoking.
The grizzly items on display include a jar of green phlegm, a blackened lung, stained teeth and a model of the mouth, which shows how smoking affects the oral cavity and increases the risk of cancer.
Jayne Nolan, a stop smoking adviser, said that one of the shocking exhibits is a suitcase full to the brim of chemicals. This aims to show the public what they are actually smoking. The suitcase educates people about the chemicals present in cigarettes and shows them where else they are found. Butane, for example, is found in lighters while acetate is an ingredient in nail varnish.
Cigarettes contain more than 4,000 chemicals but many are unaware of this. Hopefully, the exhibition will help to increase awareness of the dangers of smoking such as the aforementioned.
The resource centre was launched in April last year as a joint venture between the NHS and the Goodwin Development Trust. Initially, it was a pilot scheme, but a decision was taken to extend the programme for another year.
The stop smoking team is now eager to reach out to schools, communities and health centres to encourage them to visit the centre and learn more about smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for several forms of cancer, including oral cancer, heart disease and strokes.
Join this Discussion