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Sharecare and American Cancer Society Team Up to Host Great American Smokeout Twitter Chat

#quitforgood, Nov. 21, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST

(ATLANTA, November 19, 2013) — Have questions about how to quit smoking? Wondering how you might quit but don’t know where to start? Need to help a family member or friend? Sharecare, the online health and wellness engagement platform founded by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Jeff Arnold, and the American Cancer Society are teaming up to host a 5-hour Great American Smokeout Twitter chat, using the hashtag #quitforgood, on Thursday, November 21, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST.

Featuring top experts from Sharecare and the American Cancer Society, the chat will focus on how to quit smoking or help someone who wants to quit, including simple tricks and tips that really work. According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet about 43.8 million Americans still smoke cigarettes — nearly 1 in every 5 adults. Here’s how to join:

What: Great American Smokeout Twitter Chat (#quitforgood)

When: Thursday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST

Who: Sharecare & American Cancer Society (ACS) Experts

  • Otis Brawley, MD, FACP, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, ACS
  • J. Lee Westmaas, PhD, Director of Tobacco Control Research, ACS
  • Gregg Haifley, Associate Director of Federal Relations, ACS Cancer Action Network
  • Robin Miller, MD, Integrative Medicine; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Sharecare
  • Barbara Ficarra, RN, Nursing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Sharecare

How to Participate:

Submit your questions and comments using the hashtag #quitforgood starting Wednesday, Nov. 20, through 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, on Twitter. If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can still follow the questions submitted and the live chat via Sharecare’s live Twitter event page: https://www.sharecare.com/static/sharecare-twitter-chats. “The American Cancer Society is pleased to join with Sharecare to mark our 38th Great American Smokeout,” said Otis Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society. “Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United State. Quitting can save your life and Society’s Great American Smokeout is a great time to kick the habit.”

About the Great American Smokeout

The American Cancer Society marks the Great American Smokeout on the third Thursday of November each year by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By quitting — even for one day — smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk.

About Sharecare

Sharecare is a health and wellness social engagement platform that helps people to live healthier lives by connecting them to personalized resources including high-quality information from national experts, interactive tools and local healthcare providers. The power behind the site is its groundbreaking and popular, scientifically-based health risk assessment, the RealAge® Test, taken by more than 30 million people since its inception in 1998, and a unique, social Q&A format that provides the collective wisdom of America’s top experts—greatly simplifying the search for health information. Created by Jeff Arnold and Dr. Mehmet Oz in partnership with Harpo Productions, Sony Pictures Television and Discovery Communications, Sharecare allows people to ask, learn and act upon questions of health and wellness, creating an active community where knowledge is shared and put into practice—simply said, sharing care. Launched in 2010, Sharecare is based in Atlanta, GA.