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TOBACCO-FREE PARKS:
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Tobacco-Free Policies
TFYR believes that the most important aspect of a recreation-based tobacco prevention strategy is the adoption of a tobacco-free policy. To find out more information on the benefits of tobacco-free policies for parks and other outdoor recreational facilities click on these links: Playing Tobacco Free Fact Sheet and Policy FAQ Sheet. To find out more information about a tobacco-free policy and the policy adoption process download TFYR’s A Policy Maker’s Guide to Tobacco-Free Policies for Parks, Playgrounds and Athletic Facilities .
TFYR's Model Policies
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City Recreation and Park Departments
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Youth Recreational Organizations
Outdoor Events
County Fairs
Rodeos
Tobacco-Free
Policies For Parks & Outdoor Recreation Facilities
Make Sense. Here’s Why:
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Parks are established to promote healthy activities. The purpose of park areas is to promote community wellness, and tobacco-free policies fit with this idea.
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Secondhand smoke harms everyone. Secondhand smoke is a human carcinogen for which there is no safe level of exposure. Exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate health consequences such as asthma attacks and other respiratory diseases.
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Secondhand smoke is harmful in outdoor settings. According to Repace Associates, secondhand smoke levels in outdoor public places can reach levels as high as those found in indoor facilities where smoking is permitted.
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Cigarette litter is dangerous. Discarded cigarettes pollute the land and water and may be ingested by toddlers, pets, birds or fish.
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Tobacco-free policies help change community norms. Tobacco-free policies establish the community norm that tobacco use is not an acceptable behavior for young people or adults within the entire community.
- Most Minnesotans support tobacco-free park and recreation policies. A 2004 University of Minnesota survey found that 70% of Minnesota residents support tobacco-free park and recreation areas. In addition, 66% of golfers and 73% of families with children support these policies.
- Policies provide consistency among community athletic facilities and groups. The majority of community sporting events are held at either city or school district athletic facilities, and nearly all school districts prohibit tobacco use on their entire grounds. Also, many community athletic associations have policies but use city recreation facilities and would benefit from a city-wide policy.
- Policies reduce litter and maintenance costs. In a 2004 survey, 58% of Minnesota park directors in cities with policies reported cleaner park areas.
- Tobacco-free environments promote positive community role modeling and protect the health, safety, and welfare of community members.
- Tobacco-free
policies help break the connection between tobacco and sports. For years the tobacco industry has sponsored sporting events and
advertised at recreational events, misguiding young people’s perception of
tobacco use. Research indicates that sporting events expose youth to
extensive tobacco use by people they view as positive role models.
Study Reveals Minnesotans Support Tobacco-free Park Policies
Minnesota residents support tobacco-free park and recreation policies. This is a finding of the recently-completed Tobacco-Free Park and Recreation Study (TFPRS) carried out by the University of Minnesota. A summer 2004 survey of Minnesota residents – from both the metro area and greater Minnesota – revealed that 70% of Minnesota adults support tobacco-free park and recreation areas. In addition, two-thirds of golfers and nearly three-quarters (73%) of families with children support these policies. The study even revealed that 28% of smokers support these policies.
The TFPRS also investigated the experiences of park directors and park board members in adopting tobacco-free park and recreation policies. Interviews were conducted with 452 of these individuals, representing the 200 largest Minnesota cities, all Minnesota counties with county parks, and all Minnesota cities with existing tobacco-free park policies. In communities where tobacco-free park and recreation policies have already been adopted, an overwhelming majority (88%) of park directors and board members reported the policies were not very difficult to pass. Study findings also revealed several positive observations after the policies were implemented: 88% reported no change in park usage, 71% reported less smoking in parks, and 58% reported cleaner park areas.
Park directors and park board members also offered insight on enforcement and compliance of tobacco-free park policies. While most directors in communities with no tobacco-free policy had concerns about enforcing policies, only one-quarter of directors in communities with policies actually reported having compliance issues.
The Tobacco-Free Park and Recreation Study was carried out as a partnership among the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association, and the Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation program, with funding provided by the Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco. Surveys were mailed to randomly selected Minnesota residents age 22 and older in July 2004; phone interviews with park directors and park board members were conducted from May to October 2004.
For more detailed information on the study, please contact Liz Klein, study coordinator, at (612) 626-1799 or <klein_l@epi.umn.edu>. For assistance in adopting a tobacco-free park policy, contact Brittany McFadden, Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation director, at (651) 646-3005 or <bhm@ansrmn.org>.
| Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation |
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