Discuss the following questions with a group of 2-3.
- Have you or anyone you know tried to quit smoking? Describe the feelings that were felt.
- What are the dangers of smoking? Is smoking occasionally ok?
- What are ways that someone can quit smoking?
- How is smoking seen in your country? Is it seen as a major health problem?
- What places are you not allowed to smoke?
Read the following story about one company trying to help their employees quit smoking
General Electrics or GE has made a big commitment to helping its employees stop smoking
Quit smoking
GE has made a big commitment to helping its employees stop smoking
Why would a company be interested in helping its employees stop smoking? One of the many reasons is that it will save the company millions of dollars a year in health insurance costs. When people try to quit smoking the average success rate is 3-5%. GE thought that by giving successful quitters up to $750 they could increase their success rate.
Anyone who has tried to quit smoking understands the difficulty it brings. GE created a program that not only gives them money to stop, but also gives them education and tools to help them. Smoking cessation is the process of stopping smoking and GE gave its employees access to their program.
The success of the program is evident. Over the trial period, 15% of people in the program were able to successfully quit smoking. This is 3 times the average rate of cessation. Health care costs for smoking in the United States is over 75 billion dollars a year. If employees at GE can stop smoking that would save them an average of $3,400 per year for each employee.
With the success of this program, it opens the door for other companies to follow GE’s idea. Some people aren’t motivated enough to quit for their health, but for their bank account? Just maybe.
Exercise
Using what you have learned, complete the activity.