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~e <br /> <br />Playing Tobacco Free: <br />Tobacco-Free Policies For Outdoor Recreation Facilities <br /> <br />Tobacco-free outdoor recreation <br /> facilities make sense <br /> <br />· Secondhandsmoke harms everyone andkills thousands <br /> eve/Tyear. Exposure to secondhand smoke is the third <br /> leading cause of preventable death in the United States, <br /> killing approximately 53,000 people every year. <br />· Secondha,d 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 found in indoor facilities where smoking is <br /> permitted. <br />· Tobacco-free policies 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 parents support tobacco-free policies <br /> for outdoor playgrounds. A 1998 survey showed that <br /> 68% of Minnesota parents support smoking bans in <br /> outdoor playgrounds and 80% support a ban in all public <br /> places where children are present. <br /> <br />Why are tobacco-free policies for outdoor <br />recreation facilities so important? <br /> <br /> · City-wide policies support groups 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 /> · Creating tobacco-free envirmunentsprotects th·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 unhealthy and unnecessary behavior. <br />· Policies ensure that participants and spectators <br /> are not exposed to secondhand smoke. <br />· Policies create an environment where leaders can <br /> ~nodel and promote healthy lifestyle choices. <br /> <br />April 2004 <br /> <br /> The Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation Initiative <br />Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation (TFYR) is Minnesota's state. <br />wide recreation-based tobacco prevention program that assists <br />recreational groups in promoting healthy tobacco-free lifestyles. <br />TFYR offers assistance in tobacco-free policy development and <br />implementation and also develops materials that promote the <br />tobacco-free sports message throughout Minnesota. <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 signs, the tobacco-free <br />policy 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 <br />a) user and staff'notification; and <br />b) signage. <br /> <br />Tobacco-Free Signs <br /> <br />Contact TFYR staff (see below)for policy adoption assistance. <br />Once a policy has been passed in your community, send a copy of <br />the policy and a completed sign order form to TFYR. Download <br />an order form from our web site at <www. ansrmn.org>. <br /> <br /> Minnesota Cities with Tobacco-Free <br /> Outdoor Recreational Facilities <br />· Aitkin · Eden Prairie · Nwd Yng America <br />· Aurora · Eveleth · Owatonna <br />· Austin · Faribault · Plymouth <br />· Baxter · Golden Valley · Prinsburg <br />· Biwabik · Grand Rapids · Richfield <br />· Bloomington · Hibbing · Rochester <br />· Brainerd · Hoyt Lakes · Roseville <br />· Breckenridge · Kent · Sartell <br />· Buhl · Luverne · Savage <br />· Cohasset · Mahtomedi · Spicer <br />· Coon Rapids · Maple Grove · St. Cloud <br />· Duluth · Morris · St, Paul <br />· Eagan · Mountain Iron · Virginia <br />· Eagle Lake · New Brighton · Willmar <br /> · Zimmerman <br /> <br />~V~ssodatJon for Nonsmokers~-Minnesota <br /> 2395 University Ave. West, # 310 <br /> St. Paul, MN 55114-15:~2 <br /> .(651) 64~-3005; tfyr@ansrmn.org <br /> <br /> <br />