New Brunswick, N.J., March 11, 2015 – According to the American Lung Association, every day 4,000 young people under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette, accounting for nearly 1.5 million youth annually. Today, one out of four high school seniors and one out of three young adults under age 26 are smokers. In an attempt to drastically cut these numbers, youth will speak up and take action against tobacco use in hundreds of events nationwide on March 18, for the Annual Kick Butts Day, sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Experts at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Rutgers School of Public Health are available for comment on cessation efforts, the development of lung cancer and other health effects of smoking.

Experts available for comment include:

Michael Steinberg, MD, MPH, FACP, is a research member of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the director of the Tobacco Dependence Program, which is supported by the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, School of Public Health, and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University. Dr. Steinberg can discuss the comprehensive nature of the program, which provides help toward quitting tobacco use through treatment, education, research and advocacy. As a general internist, he can also discuss how tobacco is a risk factor for lung cancer and other diseases. Steinberg is also an associate professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and an associate professor of health education and behavioral science at the School of Public Health.

Donna Richardson, MSW, LCSW, LCADC, CTTS, is the clinic coordinator for the Tobacco Dependence Program. A tobacco treatment specialist, she has spent more than 30 years helping people examine ways to improve their health and lifestyle through behavioral changes in order to become tobacco-free. Ms. Richardson is also an instructor at the School of Public Health.

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