Getting Smokeless Tobacco
Out of Parks: Tobacco-Free Policies for Park Systems
Emily M. Anderson, MA
Program Director
Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation
Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota
West Virginia Conference on Smokeless and Spit Tobacco
Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation, a program of the Association for Nonsmokers-MN, is funded by a
Tobacco-Free Communities Grant from the Minnesota Department of Health’s Alcohol &
Tobacco and Prevention and Control Unit.
• What is TFYR?
• Why do we focus on ALL tobacco use (smoking and smokeless)?
• How and why do we work on tobacco-free sports?
• How and why do we work on creating tobacco-free parks?
• What are our lessons learned?
Presentation Goals
• Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation (TFYR) is statewide initiative of the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota (ANSR).
• TFYR's mission is to assist recreational organizations and local park systems in their efforts to create a tobacco-free environment where they can promote and model tobacco-free lifestyles.
• This is accomplished by helping these recreational organizations partner with community groups to implement a recreation-based prevention strategy.
• TFYR’s goals are to create as many tobacco-free parks and recreation areas as we can and promote tobacco-free sports and recreation.
What is TFYR?
• The Centers for Disease Control recommends tobacco-free policies as a comprehensive youth tobacco prevention tool
• TFYR believes tobacco-free outdoor policies play an important role in this strategy
• Smoke-free policies do not fully achieve the goals outlined by CDC or help prevent the rise in smokeless tobacco use
• Smoke-free policies may encourage the use of OTPs, playing into the hand of the tobacco marketing strategies
“Tobacco Free” vs. “Smoke Free”
Percentage of Adults Who Were Current Smokeless Tobacco Users in 2009
• 3.5% of all adults (aged 18 years and older)
• 7.0% of men
Percentage of High School Students who were Current Smokeless Tobacco Users in 2009
• 6.1% of all high school students
• 11.0% of males
Smokeless Use: Nationally
Source: CDC
• Among adult males, West Virginia reports the highest percentage of spit tobacco use: 17.6%
• 16.7% of current smokers in West Virginia report using smokeless tobacco
• West Virginia high schools males use smokeless tobacco at a rate of 24.8%
Smokeless Use: West Virginia
Sources: 2008 WV Behavioral Rick Factor Surveillance System
2009 WV Youth Tobacco Survey
• Increased smoking restriction in schools and public places, including bars and restaurants
• Positive image of spit tobacco use in advertising campaigns
• Introduction of new flavored smokeless products like chocolate and tropical.
• The suggestion that spit tobacco improves overall athletic performance
• Marketing of smokeless tobacco products to youth and youth athletic events
Why Is Smokeless Use Increasing?
Ramsey Tobacco Coalition (MN), 2011
Trinkets & Trash Website
• The five largest tobacco manufacturers have spent record amounts of money on smokeless tobacco advertising and promotions:
• $547.9 million in 2008
• The two leading smokeless tobacco brands for users aged 12 years or older are—
• Skoal® (with 25% of the market share) and
• Copenhagen® (with 24% of the market share)
Marketing Smokeless
Source: CDC
Marketing of Sports, Recreation …& Tobacco
Trinkets & Trash Website
Marketing of Sports, Recreation …& Tobacco
Sports Illustrated: November 2009 Sporting News: December 2010
Marketing of Sports, Recreation …& Tobacco
Sports Illustrated: November 2009
Direct Mail
2009
• Through with Chew
• Wyoming Tobacco-Free Community Program
• www.throughwithchew.com
• My Last Dip
• Oregon Research Institute
• www.mylastdip.com
National Smokeless Tobacco Cessation Efforts
Tobacco-Free Sports
TFYR’s Smokeless Prevention Efforts
Tobacco-Free Parks
• Counter the tobacco industry’s targeting of sporting events
• Connect with youth and parents involved in recreational programs
• Recreational organizations are role models to youth and influential in the community
• Change community norms
• Raise awareness about the harms of tobacco use
Why Tobacco-Free Sports?
“Strike Out Spit Tobacco” Promotion
Minnesota Twins, TC Bear Promotion, 2005
“Tobacco-Free” Poster Promotions
Wes Walz
&
Brad Bombardir
2002
Minnesota Wild
“Tobacco-Free” Poster Promotions
Torii Hunter
2003 & 2005
Minnesota Twins
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, 2007 & 2009
“Tobacco-Free” Poster Promotions
Minnesota Thunder, 2005
World No Tobacco Day Partnership
Minnesota Thunder, 2006
World No Tobacco Day Partnership
Minnesota Thunder, 2009
World No Tobacco Day Partnership
Minnesota Lynx Promotion
Lindsay Whalen
2012
World Champion Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota Lynx PSA
• Find athletes that are comfortable with public speaking
• Athletes can be traded with little notice. Investigate these possibilities before selecting an athlete, especially for print materials
• Reduce print materials production costs by utilizing stock photos kept by the team
• Be sure the athletes do not use ANY tobacco products
• Be sure that the athletes have good reputations, and are good citizens and role models
Lessons Learned: Sports Promotions
• Help change social norms about tobacco use
• Exposure to secondhand smoke is harmful
• Promote positive role modeling
• Involve youth and community members in advocacy
• Reduce harmful tobacco litter
• Parks are healthy places that belong to the residents of a community
Why Tobacco-Free Parks?
• Most MN cities have policies recommended by community park boards and voted by city councils. • These policies become part of the rules of the park system
and are enforced by signs and community awareness
• A few MN cities have adopted ordinances • Usually come with fines attached
• Policies cover city or county-owned outdoor park and recreational areas: • Parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, beaches, etc.
• Some MN policies cover only youth events
• Trend is toward “all property” policies for city and county-owned park areas
Tobacco-Free Policies in Minnesota
Minnesota Communities
with
Tobacco-Free Parks Policies
November 2012
Minnesota Tobacco-Free
Zoos and Animal Parks
November 2012
Minnesota Tobacco-Free Fairgrounds
November 2012
Tobacco-Free Park Signage
• Playing Tobacco Free: Making Your Community Parks, Playgrounds, and Athletic Field Tobacco Free
• A comprehensive youth guide on how to advocate for policy change on the local level
• Created in 2006 after dozens of successful policy initiatives
Youth Advocacy Model
• Hands-on project that usually gets positive results
• Youth are natural advocates since they are the regular park users
• Gain experience in local government and public speaking
• Opportunity to gain volunteer hours/improve college applications
• Help make the community healthier!
Why Youth Advocates?
1. Assess your community
2. Create your policy request
3. Build support for your policy
4. Plan your presentation
5. Thank & Promote!
Five Steps for Success!
Brooklyn Park, MN (Champlin Park High School)
Twin Cities Metro Area (Northern Suburbs)
Youth Advocacy Examples
Hopkins & Minnetonka, MN
Twin Cities Metro Area (Western Suburbs)
Youth Advocacy Examples
Youth Advocacy Media Coverage
Orono School District Advocacy Approach
• Group from Orono High School (district comprised of 8 cities)
• Started in 2010 with the city of Orono
• Orono passed a comprehensive tobacco-free parks ordinance
• Students wanted to keep working on other cities in their school district
• Over the next two years: 6 successful policy drives!
Orono School District Advocacy Approach
Orono School District Advocacy Approach
• Justifying outdoor policy work can be difficult, and it fluctuates depending on the community
• State level funding and support is needed
• More research is needed on the health effects of secondhand smoke outdoors
• A comprehensive community “buy-in” is key
• Globally, communities are working on these policies, which supports the growing trend
Lessons Learned: Big Picture
• Community organizing is hard work!
• Community coalition members are essential
• Community politics play an important role
• Find a champion inside City Hall
• Know how the policy makers will vote
• Entire process can take from 3 to 12 months
• Policies do not always pass easily, but you can make a difference through tobacco-free parks
Lessons Learned: Details, Details…
• Tobacco-Free Parks: A Decade of Progress
• Components of a Successful Tobacco-Free Parks Policy
• A Guide for Creating Tobacco-Free Rodeos
• A Guide for Creating Tobacco-Free Fairgrounds
• University of MN Tobacco-Free Parks and Recreation Study
• Tobacco-Free Parks and Recreation Brochure
• Minnesota Lynx Poster samples
Resources
Emily M. Anderson, Program Director
Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation
2395 University Avenue West, Suite #310
Saint Paul, MN 55114
651-646-3005
TobaccoFreeParks.org
Contact Us!
