UK employees who can stop smoking for the next month will have a shot at five cash prizes from the UK Tobacco-free Campus Initiative and UK HealthCare.

According to a press release from assistant professor Amanda Fallin from the College of Nursing, the campus-wide “Quit It and Win” contest will end registration at 5 p.m. on Friday and will run through Feb. 16.

One $1000 first-place prize and two $500 second-place and $250 third-place prizes will be awarded after the contest by raffle, according to the press release.

UK employees and members of affiliated organizations can sign up for the contest online. Participants must be at least 18 years old and have used tobacco products in the past 30 days.

During enrollment, participating staff members are asked to select a “buddy” to support them through the quitting process, as well as enter past attempts to quit tobacco use, according to the press release. A carbon monoxide measurement will also be taken before the contest to verify use of tobacco.

In order to win, the press release states that participants must complete another CO measurement and sign a document attesting that they did not use any tobacco products during the month.

Successful employees will be entered into a raffle where the five cash winners will be chosen by Feb. 20.

According to a March 2014 Gallup poll, Kentucky has the highest smoking rate in the U.S. at 30.2 percent.

In July 2013, Gallup published poll results that indicated that 74 percent of smokers would like to quit. It added that 85 percent have attempted to do so at least once. The average number of attempts to quit was 3.6.

Of those who attempted to quit smoking in the July 2013 article, 48 percent indicated that quitting cold turkey was the most helpful strategy for them.

The next most-popular option, use of unspecified products or means, received 12 percent of the vote, and 8 percent of respondents credited a “mind over matter” mentality in their attempts.

Staff Report

Staff Report