As Roberta Parga Nina anxiously blows into a carbon monoxide tester, the machine registers a level \u201ctwo\u201d attempt.<\/p>\n
The test is being administered to nicotine dependent students like Parga Nina during a Quit Smoking Now class offered by the Kendall Campus\u2019 Wellness Center and the Miami-Dade Area Health Education Center.<\/p>\n
The course was started in May when MDC banned smoking college-wide.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy because I\u2019m trying to quit, and I know it\u2019s going to be better, but it\u2019s very hard,\u201d said Parga Nina, a Kendall Campus student majoring in graphic design, who said she used to smoke an average of 25 cigarettes per day, but has been smoke-free since starting the program. \u201cI just take it one step after another, each day is a victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program offers MDC students, staff and faculty members six-week counseling sessions, and four weeks of nicotine replacement therapy, in which nicotine patches are provided, as well as educational information and resources on stress management, nicotine, nutrition and other topics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s part of my function to provide wellness and fitness programs to the College,\u201d said Cookie Rosell, Wellness and Fitness Director at Kendall Campus. \u201cThis is an important part of having a healthy lifestyle; smoking is a leading risk factor to heart disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 70% of smokers want to quit completely, and in a study done in 2008, approximately 45% of smokers attempted to quit.
\nThe tobacco cessation classes are held every Monday from 12-1 p.m. at Kendall Campus\u2019 Wellness Center in Room G110.<\/p>\n
The classes are free and students don\u2019t need to register to attend.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The class] doesn\u2019t have rules like normal classes do,\u201d Rosell said.<\/p>\n
The course is led by Alek Demario, instructor and program manager of the Miami-Dade Area Health Education Center.<\/p>\n
Demario has previously taught the course at Florida International University, several state prisons and mental hospitals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI bully them into quitting smoking,\u201d Demario joked.<\/p>\n
The Wellness Center plans to continue providing the Quit Smoking Now program and enhance awareness of smoke-free living through campaigns around the College.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Miami Dade College we provide educational opportunities,\u201d Rosell said. \u201cAt the Wellness Center we provide healthier opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n