Purpose:
This activity allows students to understand the relationship between smoking and the physical limitations it causes. This interactive demonstration will give students a sense of how a smoker’s body is less equipped to respond to physical activity.
Preparation
Materials Needed: Stopwatches (1 per 3 students), straws (1 per student), straw-type coffee stirs (1 per student)
Handout: "Athlete Activity Recording Sheet"
Procedure
1. Divide the class into groups of three and allow each member of the groups to volunteer for the roles: “Athlete,” “Time Keeper,” “Recorder.” There should be one person assigned to each role in every group. Group members should change roles in between exercises so that each student gets a chance to be in each role.
2. Tell students that they are going to participate in an activity that demonstrates how difficult it might be to breathe in certain situations. Tell them if they feel light-headed or faint they should stop and take a good, deep breath.
3. In the small groups, the Athlete will perform a repetitive exercise while the Time Keeper tracks how many repetitions the Athlete can complete during a 5-minute period and the Recorder writes the number of repetitions completed in the appropriate box.
4. The Athlete will complete the same exercise for three rounds:
o Round 1: No limitation.
o Round 2: Normal straw, breathing through their mouth. (Limitation 1)
o Round 3: Small coffee stir straw, breathing through their mouth. (Limitation 2)
o Encourage the Athletes to avoid breathing through their nose, and only breathe through the straws during the exercises unless it is unsafe for them to do so. The Athlete should take a break in between each exercise to regain a normal heart rate and breathing pattern.
5. As the Athlete becomes more limited, the number of repetitions they can complete of each exercise will likely decrease, demonstrating the need for healthy, functioning lungs to complete a physical task.
6. Once the groups have completed the activities, project or draw a table like the “Athlete Recording Sheet” on the board and have each group fill in how many repetitions their Athlete was able to perform. This will allow students to see how their ability to complete the exercises was diminished as the Athlete became more limited.
Class Debrief Talking Points: Use these questions to generate a discussion about what students learned in this activity
· What do you notice about the number of repetitions the Athlete was able to complete for each exercise?
· Athletes, what was different about completing the exercise as you became more limited in your breathing?
· If this physical limitation were permanent, what parts of your life would be affected? How? Hints: Sports, traveling, completing daily activities, hobbies etc would be more difficult. Family and friends might be concerned about your health.
· In what ways is this activity similar and different to a smoker’s deteriorating physical ability over time?
· Do you think this activity accurately simulates all of the health effects caused by smoking?
· It is a scientifically proven fact that tobacco products are the cause of many negative health consequences, including being the leading cause of cancer. Smoking causes damage to nearly every organ in the body, especially the lungs.
· According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Every cigarette you smoke damages your breathing and scars your lungs. Smoking causes:
o Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease that gets worse over time and causes wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms.
o Emphysema, a condition in which the walls between the air sacs in your lungs lose their ability to stretch and shrink back. Your lung tissue is destroyed, making it difficult or impossible to breathe.
o Chronic bronchitis, which causes swelling of the lining of your bronchial tubes. When this happens, less air flows to and from your lungs.”
· Smoking also causes Pneumonia, Asthma, and Tuberculosis. People with asthma are especially at risk for these health issues.
· Even the use of e-cigarettes/vape pens can cause damage to the respiratory system.
