City students say no to tobacco

THE PNG Cancer Foundation through its Healthy Teens School Programme observed the ‘World No Tobacco Day’ with the Salvation Army Boroko Primary and Malolo International School on Friday.
PNGCF executive manager Priscilla Napoleon said the day’s theme “Tobacco and lung health” was in line with the foundation’s teen school programme message on healthy lifestyle choices as a way to reduce the risk of getting cancer.
Napoleon said the objective of this school-based programme was to empower teenagers with tangible information to go out and say that today they had learned in school how to reduce the risk of getting any type of cancer caused by smoking and other harmful habits.
She said cancer was real and encouraged smokers to challenge themselves to cut down on the consumption of cigarette and for those who did not smoke should not smoke cigarette as it was bad for their health.
“We are doing the advocacy to encourage everyone to stop smoking or if you haven’t started smoking do not smoke at all, being that cancer is real and there are cancer causing chemicals inside a cigarette.
“An effective way of reducing cancer is by not smoking or if you have already started smoking challenge yourself, if you smoke a whole packet a day cut it down to 10, then five and eventually you stop,” Napoleon said.
She said the foundation brought out education and awareness and the foundation’s message had been early detection and making sure people, especially teenagers were aware of their health.
About 123 students from Salvation Army Boroko Primary and Malolo International School participated in the programme and activities given to them by the PNGCF health educators.
Samuel Pondros, grade six from Malolo International School, and Gracelynne Doria, grade 8 from Salvation Army Boroko primary school, said the programme was educational and fun as they learnt a lot about cancer.