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Playing Tobacco Free: <br />Tobacco-Free Policies For Outdoor Recreation Facilities <br /> <br />Tobacco-free outdoor recreation <br /> facilities make sense <br /> <br />Secondhand smoke harms everyone and kills thousands <br />eve~yyear Exposure to secondhand smoke is the third <br />leading cause of preventable death in the United States, <br />kiIIing approximately 53,000 people every year. <br />Secondhand smoke is harmful in outdoor settings. <br />According to Repace Associates, secondhand smoke <br />levels in outdoor public places can reach levels as high <br />as those fonnd in indoor facilities where smoking is <br />permitted. <br />Tobacco-f'ee flolicies help change community norms. <br />Tobacco-free policies establish the community, norm <br />that tobacco use is not an acceptable behavior for young <br />people or adults within the entire community. <br />Most Minnesota flarents support tobacco-~'ee policies <br />for outdoorplay~'ounds. A 1998 survey showed that <br />68% of Minnesota parents support smoking bans in <br />outdoor playgrounds aud 80% support a ban in all public <br />places where children are present. <br /> <br />Why are tobacco-free policies for outdoor <br /> <br /> recreation facilities so important? <br /> <br />· City-wide policies support ~oups that have existing <br /> policies when they are using city recreation facilities. <br />· Since most school districts prohibit tobacco use <br /> in all their facilities, city-wide policies create <br /> consistency for all youth recreational facilities in <br /> the community. <br />· Cigarette butts cause litter, increase maintenance <br /> expenses, and pose the risk of ingestion by toddlers <br /> using recreation facilities. <br />· Creatingtobacco-free envkonments protects the health, <br /> safety, and welfare of the community. <br /> <br /> Why are tobacco-free policies effective? <br />·Policies reinforce to youth the message that tobacco <br /> use is umhealthy and unnecessary behavior. <br /> <br />· Policies ensure that participants and spectators <br /> are not exposed to secondhand smoke. <br />· Policies create an environment where leaders can <br /> model and promote healthy lifestyle choices. <br /> <br />ational groups in modeling and promoting healthy tobacco-flee <br />lifestyles for young people who are involved in their programs. <br />TFYR offers assistance in tobacco-free policy development & <br />implementation and also develops materials that promote the <br />tobacco-flee sports message tltroughOut Minnesota. <br /> <br /> The Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation Initiative <br />Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation (TFTR) is Minnesota's statewide <br />recreation-based tobacco prevention program that assists recre- <br /> <br /> Policy adoption assistance <br /> & FREE signs available through TFYR <br />TFYR offers city park & recreation departments technical <br />assistance in tobacco-free policy development. To help with <br />policy implementation, TFYR provides 12" x 18" metal blue & <br />white tobacco-free signs for FREE to Minnesota cities that <br />adopt comprehensive tobacco-free policies for their outdoor <br />recreational facilities. <br /> <br />To qualify for the sigmas, the tobacco-free policy <br />must include: <br />· A list of all the facilities it covers. <br />· A statement that all forms of tobacco use <br /> are prohibited. <br />· An enforcement plan that includes a) user <br /> and staff notification; and b) si=~nage. <br />Contact TFYR staff(see below) for policy adoption assistance. <br />Once a policy has been passed in your community, send a copy <br />of the policy and a completed sign order form to TFYR. Down- <br />load an order form from our web site at <www. ansrmn.org>. <br /> <br />Tobacco-Free Signs <br /> <br />Minnesota Cities with Tobacco-Free <br />Outdoor Recreational Facilities <br /> <br />· Aitkin · Eden Prairie · Nwd Yng America <br />· Aurora · Eveleth · Owatonna <br />· Austin · Faribauit · Plymouth <br />· Baxter · Golden Valley · Richfield <br />· Biwabik · Grand Rapids · Rochester <br />· Bloomington · Hibbing · Roseville <br />· Brainerd · Hoyt Lakes · Sartell <br />· Breckenridge · Kent · Savage <br />· Buhl · Mahtomedi · Spicer <br />· Cohasset · Maple Grove · St. Cloud <br />· Coon Rapids · Morris · St. Paul <br />· Duluth · Mountain Iron · Virginia <br /> <br /> · Eagan · New Brighton · Willmar <br /> <br />.... ~. · ZJmmermbn <br />' i "'~jAss°ciati°n for Nonsmokers--Minnesota <br /> ~~- 2395 University Ave. West, # 310 <br /> . St. Paul, MN 55114-1512 <br /> ~::, .:! (651) 646-3005; tfyr(~ansrmn.or9 <br /> <br /> <br />