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Our highly trained specialists are available 24/7 via phone and on weekdays can assist through online chat. We connect patients, caregivers, and family members with essential services and resources at every step of their cancer journey. Ask us how you can get involved and support the fight against cancer. Some of the topics we can assist with include:
- Referrals to patient-related programs or resources
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- Tobacco-related topics
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- Cancer Information
For medical questions, we encourage you to review our information with your doctor.
- Reasons to Quit Smoking
- Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time
- Benefits of Quitting Tobacco If You Have Cancer
- Making a Plan to Quit and Preparing for Your Quit Day
- Quitting Smoking or Smokeless Tobacco
- Quitting E-cigarettes (Vapes, Vape Pens)
- Nicotine Replacement Therapy to Help You Quit Tobacco
- Prescription Medicines to Help You Quit Tobacco
- Dealing with the Mental Part of Tobacco Addiction
- Are There Other Ways to Quit Tobacco?
- Staying Tobacco-free After You Quit
- Help for Cravings and Tough Situations While You're Quitting Tobacco
- Talking With Your Cancer Care Team About Tobacco Use
- How to Help Someone Quit Smoking
- Why People Start Smoking and Why It’s Hard to Stop
- Harmful Chemicals in Tobacco Products
- Is Any Type of Tobacco Product Safe?
- Keeping Your Kids Tobacco-free
- Empowered to Quit
- Cancer Risk 360
Kids on the Move
It’s as important for kids to be active as it is for adults. In fact, the American Cancer Society recommends that kids do more. They need at least 1 hour of moderate or vigorous intensity activity each day.
- Moderate intensity activities require effort equal to a brisk walk.
- Vigorous intensity activities generally use large muscle groups and result in a faster heart rate, deeper and faster breathing, and sweating.
Activities should be age appropriate, enjoyable, and varied, including sports and fitness activities in school, at home, and in the community. To help reach activity goals, daily physical education programs and activity breaks should be provided for children at school, and “screen time” (TV viewing, playing video games, or social networking on phones or computers and similar activities) should be limited at home.
Most young people do not meet this minimum recommendation, and are likely to become sedentary adults. This means they’ll have greater risk for diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. What can you do about it?
Look for chances to encourage kids to be active, even if it’s just a quick game of hide and seek, or a pickup basketball game. Children develop habits early in life, and you can help give them a healthy start.
Tips for parents
- Talk about the value of physical activity with your kids.
- Limit how much time they can watch TV, be on their phones, and play video or computer games.
- Create new routines, like taking a walk after dinner or playing in a park on the weekends.
- Plan physical activities for family events, such as birthday parties, picnics, and vacations.
- Encourage your kids to participate in school and community sports programs.
- Advocate for quality physical education and school health programs in your kids’ school.
- Choose a doctor for your teen who will encourage and explain the benefits of physical activity.
- Be a good role model and join in the fun.
As your kids get older, it can become harder to find time to be active together. Post a list to remind the family of activities that can be enjoyed together, such as hiking, biking, gardening, skating, swimming, and canoeing.
Tips for the stroller set
- Toddlers are the perfect exercise partners. They know how to be active; just follow their lead.
- Music and dancing are favorite toddler activities. This might be the only time in their lives when they’ll be impressed by your fancy footwork, so don’t be shy. Look for children’s music that features games and dancing.
- Consider starting a babysitting co-op with your neighborhood, church, or family. One or two parents can take turns watching the children for about an hour while the others go for a walk or engage in some other activity.
Don’t have a child of your own? Borrow one from friends or family and give parents a needed break. Or volunteer with a youth sports or recreation program.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Last Revised: October 18, 2021
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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