Anti-tobacco activists are working this week to take a bite out of chewing tobacco use.

Montana State University-Northern is participating in Through With Chew Week, mostly through Tuesday’s Kick The Can Event.

“We have a high rate of students who use chew, ” said Jamie Smith, Northern's director of Student Health Services and Employee Wellness. “It’s important to educate and to let them know that it’s an unhealthy activity, and there is help out there. ”

Smith said that the school, with the help of students Anthony Tate and Brittnee Smith, will have a booth set up on Tuesday with information about the health risks associated with tobacco use in general, but with a focus on smokeless tobacco products.

The booth will have pamphlets and fliers about harmful chemicals in chew and local resources for students that want to quit.

As motivation to quit, a pledge board will be set up where chewers can publicly swear off the addictive substance for the day, all of Through With Chew Week or as long as they like.

Tomorrow’s event will also include a trivia Jeopardy-like game where students can win prizes, like water bottles and chapstick, Smith said.

Through With Chew Week was started 22 years ago by the Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Inc. in Wyoming, where most of the activities still originate.

The week is focused in Wyoming because, according to a 2009 study cited by Through With Chew, 16.9 percent of Wyoming males chew tobacco, more than twice the national average of 8 percent.

Montana is not far behind.

The Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program’s website claims that 13 percent of Montana males chew.

The national program focuses its activities Thursday, with their Great American Spit Out, though Smith said it was more convenient for those involved to run programs on Tuesday.