It’s the quitters who win in this DOH ‘contest’

‘SMOKE-FREE’ Jesus Samson, 51 (wearing a cap), was among the 1,100 participants of “Stop and Gain,” the first-ever smoking cessation contest in the country organized by the Department
of Health in partnership with the Lung Center of the Philippines and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Philippines. He was among the three grand prize winners, the other two from Baguio City and Kalibo, Aklan. —PHOTO FROM ASH PHILIPPINES

Jesus Samson of Carmona, Cavite, had his first drag on a cigarette at 17. What started out as a curiosity soon became a habit demanding more than a pack per day, and went on unbroken for more than three decades.

Upon turning 49, Samson stopped, heeding the alarming signals from his body: “I was getting tired quite easily and frequently experienced headaches. I also got weaker and started to feel sick.”

Now 51, he considers himself “smoke-free,” his two-year consistency achieved through both personal sacrifice and public intervention.

Samson was among the 1,100 participants of “Stop and Gain,” a smoking cessation “contest” organized by the Department of Health (DOH) in partnership with the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP).

The initiative, a first in the country, was also supported by the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Philippines, an affiliate member organization of The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines.

Added incentives

Samson was one of the three grand prize winners, the others being Noel Mandawe of Baguio City and Juvie Ann Yatar of Kalibo, Aklan.

It was called a contest, but the way they won was, well, as random as the shape taken by smoke: Out of the 1,100 participants, their names were actually picked by raffle and the DOH handed them a cash prize of P5,000 each during a program held on Feb. 6.

“We were just trying to give additional incentives to those who stopped [smoking] other than the good quality of life they have already achieved. I would like to think that this contest is not the one which encouraged them to quit smoking, but it was the cessation program and their willingness to have a better quality of life,” said ASH Philippines officer Dr. Maricar Limpin.

Kicking the habit, of course, was not easy. For Samson, there were the cravings, the restlessness, the grouchiness—all normal symptoms of withdrawal.

Nicotine patches helped, until the day came when he no longer needed them.

For this quitter, the rewards were deep and went beyond health matters. “Before, I would spend at least P180 per day for cigarettes. Now I can spend this on more important things for my family,” he said.

Cessation facilities

As part of its program held last week, the DOH recognized the smoking cessation facilities that played a crucial role in finding and helping the likes of Samson. Through these clinics, Stop and Gain was able to enlist a large number of participants across the country.

Among the facilities credited with the most quitters were the Carmona City Health Office in Cavite (97); Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Hospital in Kalibo, Aklan (50); Maasin City Health Unit in Southern Leyte (17); and Sanchez Mira Health Office in Cagayan (10).

Seeking professional help through these clinics made a big difference, according to Dr. Glynna Ong-Cabrera, an adviser to the LCP Smoking Cessation Program.

“Let us not try to stop smoking on our own because there is a big chance that you will not succeed,” Ong-Cabrera said.

“Smoking is an addiction,” added Limpin, who is also a pulmonologist. “This is a disease that needs to be treated. Do not hesitate to ask for help from experts and from antismoking associations.”

Numbers falling, but . . .

Tobacco use around the world has actually been on the decline.

In the Philippines, based on the last Global Adult Tobacco Survey taken in 2021, 19.5 percent or 15.1 million Filipinos age 15 and older were current tobacco users. The number was lower than the 23.8 percent recorded in 2015.

Health experts, however, warn against the growing lure of novel tobacco products, like electronic cigarettes or vapes, especially among the youth.

According to another study, the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 14 percent or 1 in every 7 Filipino youth age 13 to 15 years old is already using e-cigarettes, translating to almost a million young users in the country.

For Limpin, smoking and vaping have become “twin epidemics,” the second being misleadingly promoted as “a safer alternative” to the first.

But in fact, she said, “the harm brought by vaping is almost the same or even higher than smoking.”

Aside from nicotine which impairs brain development, e-cigarette aerosol contains potentially harmful substances, starting with the ultrafine particles that enter the lungs; flavorings like diacetyl, which is a chemical linked to a serious lung disease; and heavy metals such as lead which can cause cancer.

“Medical societies around the world are not supporting the use of vape to help people to quit smoking. Instead, vaping becomes an initiation for people to use cigarettes,” Cabrera said.

In November 2019, the DOH confirmed the first Philippine case of e-cigarette or vape-associated lung injury. The patient was a 16-year-old girl from the Visayas who had been using e-cigarettes for six months while also smoking regular cigarettes.

According to Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag, the department plans to do another Stop and Gain program this year, this time for e-cigarette or vape users.

“It is our duty and responsibility in the DOH to inform the public of the dangerous effects of vape to our health. These are not just opinion or hearsay, but based on scientific evidence,” he said.

The law DOH opposed

Antismoking advocates are blaming, among other factors, the enactment of Republic Act No. 11900, or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, in July 2022 for the increasing vape usage in the country.

READ: DOH launches tobacco quitting contest for smokers, vapers

The DOH had opposed the passage of the law, warning it would make the vice more accessible to the youth by lowering the “age of access” from 21 to 18 years old.

The law also took from the DOH the authority to regulate vape products and gave them to the Department of Trade and Industry.

The health department wants that power back and has since clamored for its return to the Food and Drug Administration, one of its attached agencies.