DOHMH will contact program participants by phone after they receive their nicotine patches to offer advice and support on stopping smoking. Be Tobacco-Free – a Take Care New York Priority Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in New York City, killing nearly ten thousand New Yorkers each year. That’s why being tobacco-free is a top priority of Take Care New York, the City’s health policy.  A third of smokers are killed by tobacco, and they die, on average, 14 years earlier than non-smokers. Smoking increases a person's risk of heart disease, stroke, many types of cancer, blindness, and Alzheimer's disease. Smoking also causes many problems in pregnancy, including miscarriage, premature labor, and low birth weight.

If you smoke, quitting is the single most important thing you can do for your health. Call 311 for more information on Take Care New York.

This article is in three parts. This is part Three. Part One Part Two.

Third and fourth graders in New Jersey are being taught about the dangers and risks of smoking and are then sharing their new found knowledge with a smoker as part of the "Tell Someone You Love" letter writing program.

Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health have confirmed that young adults, ages 18 to 24, are now the fastest growing group of smokers.