World No Tobacco Day - 2010

For Immediate Release

Montreal, QC - May 26, 2010 - The Quebec Lung Association wants Quebeckers to tap into their social networks to encourage loved ones to quit smoking together.

Research shows that quitting is contagious -- people are more likely to butt out for good when others in their social circle do the same.¹ To help others catch the quit, The Canadian Lung Association has developed some fun social media tools.

"We're inviting people to "Catch the Quit" by sending out e-cards to either announce their decision to quit or send out to friends, family and co-workers to invite them to quit together," says Heather Borquez, CEO and president of The Canadian Lung Association. "We're also offering a Qwitter Twibbon, a small logo that people can add to their Twitter profile images, to proudly announce that they've quit smoking."

While many smokers may have resolved to quit in January, some may have started smoking again. In fact, the average Canadian attempts to stop smoking six times before quitting for good, according to "Making Quit Happen: Canada's Challenges to Smoking Cessation," a ground-breaking report that The Canadian Lung Association released in 2008.² While quitting smoking is never easy, it can be done with a quit plan and the proper support.

"It can often take smokers several attempts to quit before they butt out for good. The challenge is in working to overcome the addiction and habit that is related to nicotine," says Dr. Gaston Ostiguy, chest physician, Montreal Chest Institute, McGill University Health Centre. "I strongly advise people to discuss their previous attempts with their healthcare professional in order to be successful in their journey to become smoke free. This year, Canadians can use World No Tobacco Day, on May 31st as their motivator to re-commit to quit."

Quitting is Contagious

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, sheds light on how one person's decision to "catch the quit" can significantly affect their close friends who smoke. Smokers can be influenced by the quitting behaviour of others in their social circle, including friends, family and co-workers.

Smokers tend to associate with those who have a similar smoking pattern. As a result, one person quitting can greatly impact those around them. If one smoker in a friendship quits, the likelihood that their friend will is 43 per cent.¹ In small companies, if a close co-worker quits, the chances of a colleague also quitting are 34 per cent. But, by far the highest chance of catching the quit is among spouses, with one partner's choice to quit increasing the likelihood of the other's by two-thirds.¹.

George et Diane Moffat ont tous les deux fumé pendant plus de 30 ans. « On a arrêté il y a environ 3 ans, » raconte George. « Ça n'a pas été facile : on a rechuté plusieurs fois. Mais à un moment donné, on s'est fait suivre par un médecin et on a établi un plan selon lequel on s'engageait à arrêter ensemble. C'est ainsi qu'on a pu continuellement se motiver et se soutenir l'un l'autre. On a réussi à arrêter de fumer ensemble, et aujourd'hui, on encourage les autres à faire de même. On ne s'est jamais senti aussi bien. »

Catch the Quit!
As many as 90 per cent of Canadian smokers would like to quit, but as any smoker can tell you, quitting is difficult.² Without a plan and the proper support, it can be challenging to break the addiction and habit:

• Approximately five million Canadians continue to smoke, and 79 per cent of smokers have tried to quit, most of them several times.^3,2
• Nicotine addiction is a chronic, relapsing medical condition meaning that an individual continues to re-experience problems associated with the addiction.^4,5
• Once a person is addicted, having nicotine in the body feels "normal" and going without nicotine is unpleasant.⁶
• Habit and addiction are the main reasons cited by current smokers for not quitting.²

"Smokers benefit from quitting together. There is the inherent support and motivation that comes with a shared experience, and the planning that naturally occurs when coordinating with another person also helps support successful quitting," says Ms. Borquez.

This World No Tobacco Day, renew your commitment to quit smoking for good

Learn how to quit smoking.

Find out where to get help to quit smoking

Send an e-card to encourage your friends to quit or tell friends that you plan to quit.

Get a "Catch the Quit" Twibbon..

About World No Tobacco Day
World No Tobacco Day was created in 1987 by the World Health Organization to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. It is celebrated around the world every year on May ^{31st. 7}

Quebec Lung Association
Founded in 1938, the Quebec Lung Association is the only non-profit organization to promote respiratory health and prevent pulmonary disease through research, education and services. It helps and protects both sufferers and the general population of Quebec.

Year of the Lung
2010 has been declared the Year of the Lung, by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS). The goal of this global campaign is to raise awareness about lung health among the public, initiate action in communities worldwide, and advocate for resources to combat lung disease including increased investment in basic, clinical and translational research worldwide.

The "Catch the Quit" program was made possible through an educational grant from Pfizer Canada Inc

About Pfizer in Canada
Pfizer Canada Inc. is the Canadian operation of Pfizer Inc, the world's leading biopharmaceutical company. Pfizer discovers, develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines for humans and animals. Pfizer's ongoing research and development activities focus on a wide range of therapeutic areas following our guiding aspiration… Working together for a healthier world.

For additional information, please contact:

Madame Dominique Massie Executive Director The Quebec Lung Association Tel. : 514 287-7400, poste 224 Cel. : 514 975-5382

Stephanie Lyttle NATIONAL Public Relations 514-843-2365 slyttle@national.ca

Audio News Release available as of May ^25th :

(or go to www.newscanada.com and visit the radio section under new releases)

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¹ Christakis N.A., et al. The Collective Dynamics of Smoking in a Large Social Network. The New England Journal of Medicine. Vol. 21: 2249-2258.
² The Canadian Lung Association. " Making Quit Happen: Canada's Challenges to Smoking Cessation. Accessed May 2010.
³Health Canada. Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS) 2008. Accessed March 2010.
⁴ National Institute on Drug Abuse. " Facts About Nicotine and Tobacco Products ". Vol. 13(3). Accessed May 2010.
⁵ CAMH Relapse prevention: What is relapse?. Accessed May 2010.
⁶ The Canadian Lung Association Smoking and Tobacco: Quitting Smoking. Accessed May 2010.
⁷World Health Organization Previous World No Tobacco Days ". Accessed May 2010.