UVic Students Drop Dead Together

Each year about 6,000 tobacco-related deaths occur in BC. In a demonstration to represent these preventable deaths, members of the UnSick UVic Club, a student driven health promotion club at the University of Victoria, are inviting participation in the second annual “Drop Dead” event on campus at the UVic fountain at 12:30 p.m. on March 20. During “Drop Dead,” all participants will be asked to lie down and act dead for one minute. UnSick UVic hopes the event will help increase awareness of available campus, local and provincial resources for quitting smoking and promote a healthier campus for all students, staff and faculty.

“UVic has a great environment to go tobacco-free. We have wonderful policies in place and free resources and services are available to students who require them,” says Aileen Hamilton, president of the UnSick UVic Club. “However 19 to 24-year-olds continue to use tobacco more than the general population in BC.”

Despite the high prevalence rate of tobacco use in young adults, most claim they want to quit says Hamilton. “Unfortunately, few young people identify with the current negative anti-tobacco messaging and are heavily targeted by the tobacco industry. Raising awareness of the quitting resources available to students is one way that UnSick UVic and UVic Health Services hope to reach out to smokers on campus.”

UVic Health Services will be present during the event and distributing quit smoking resources, information and other free products to both smokers and non-smokers. “Our staff is pleased to offer free counseling, education and quit smoking products such as Nicorette gum to our students,” says Sara Wegwitz, clinical nurse educator/outreach nurse at UVic Health Services. “Any student wishing such services should visit the Jack Petersen Health Centre during office hours.”

For more information, students, faculty, and staff of UVic and members of the community are encouraged to search Facebook for “Drop Dead 2009”.
 

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