Vision 2010 Conference Broadens
Coalition and Focuses Us on What Works
A terrific Vision 2010 Conference and Coalition event took place April
8-10. It was good to see so many new and seasoned partners joining us to
pull together to meet our Vision 2010 objectives.
North Carolina is truly at a crossroads. Centuries-old
social, economic, and political traditions in the nation’s leading tobacco-producing
state are giving way to the knowledge gained in recent decades about the
health effects of tobacco use, along with widening state and local support
for the policies and interventions known to be effective. While major barriers
remain, the tobacco prevention and control movement in North Carolina has
made strides in the last year that indicate a change in norms, and position
North Carolina’s tobacco control programs as leaders among tobacco-producing
states. Accomplishments and indicators of change include:
- an historic allocation of $18.6 million over three years by the NC Health
and Wellness Trust Fund Commission (HWTFC), is the first-ever N.C. state
funds dedicated for tobacco prevention and control;
- the release of a powerful statewide media campaign by the Health and Wellness
Trust Fund Commission, called Reality Unfiltered (see
www.realityunfiltered.com)
- a smoking ban on the floor of the N.C. House of Representatives;
- a rapid acceleration in school districts adopting 100% tobacco-free school
policies;
- the percentage of workers in N.C. protected by nonsmoking polices exceeding
the national average; and
- the serious consideration of a considerable increase in the cigarette excise
tax.
North Carolina has steadily expanded its commitment to evidence-based tobacco
prevention and control over the past 10 years. The total 2003 investment
of funds dedicated entirely to tobacco prevention and control in North
Carolina is $9,874,607; this represents 23 percent of the CDC’s "Best Practices"
recommended annual budget lower estimate of $42,591,000.
Most national and state programs are based upon the CDC’s four goals:
1) prevent initiation of tobacco use among young people; 2) promote cessation
for adults and youth; 3) eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke; and 4)
identify and eliminate tobacco-related disparities in specific populations.
Some program goals may vary slightly by emphasis.
Priority Policy Initiatives. Upon the review of the
Guidelines for Community Preventive Services, North Carolina data
and policy/program status, and key informant interviews with active stakeholders,
the following priority policy initiatives have emerged among the Vision
2010 Coalitions for the 2003-2008 period:
- Make all N.C. schools 100% tobacco free for students, staff, and faculty,
campus-wide, 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
- Educate the public and decision makers about the public health impact of
increasing the cigarette tax to at least the national average;
- Increase numbers of workers covered by nonsmoking policies, with an emphasis
on blue-collar and service workers;
- Increase the percentage of people protected from secondhand smoke by increasing
the number of smoke-free policies in institutional or government-regulated
housing and day cares;
- Develop the infrastructure and systems support for evidence-based tobacco
use cessation by increasing the adoption of the DHHS Clinical Practice
Guidelines by Health Systems; by increasing the number of private providers
that reimburse for cessation services; and by applying for resources to
provide, promote and market a proactive full service Quitline.
TABLE 1: What
Works
Community Preventive Services
Task Force Recommendations for Tobacco Use
Intervention/
Recommendation
Reducing
Exposure to Secondhand Smoke
Smoking bans
and restrictions ü
(strong)
Increasing
Cessation
Increasing unit
price of tobacco products ü
(strong)
Provider reminder
+ provider education ü
(strong)
Quitlines
ü
(strong)
Mass media campaigns
(multicomponent) ü
(strong)
Reducing patient
out-of-pocket costs for treatment ü
(sufficient)
Provider reminder
systems ü
(sufficient)
Reducing
Initiation
Mass media campaigns
(multicomponent) ü
(strong)
Increasing the
unit price of tobacco products ü
(strong)
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/topic/tobacco
Evidence-Based Tobacco Prevention and Control Programs
The Vision 2010 Conference laid out a clear challenge to us in North Carolina
to utilize our limited resources well to reduce the huge health and economic
consequences of tobacco use in this state. The evidence is in. With the
recommendations of the guide to Community Preventive Services, we know
what works. (Table 1)
Dr. David Hopkins and all of the excellent national panelists are clear
on WHAT WORKS and acknowledge that flexibility is needed
to determine HOW TO put it into place. Our challenge is building
community support putting effective interventions into place. Through the
work of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, we know what to
lean our ladders against to climb to success, but how to do it varies community
by community. Every community may need a slightly different ladder as the
conditions vary! Some already have solid foundations; others need to work
on the foundation a bit before putting the ladder into place. History,
culture and context all come into play. Expectations of funding sources
and local leadership also have an impact.
How do we accomplish these challenging objectives? The Vision 2010 Guiding
Principles written in 1999-2000 still have merit. (Table 2, page 3).
We at the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch look forward to working
with you to rise to this challenge; our next generation is depending on
us!
tobacco.reality.unfiltered Radio
Campaign Begins
A $1.2 million radio campaign to discourage teen tobacco use kicked
off April 21 in North Carolina, with six ads running on teen-oriented radio
stations statewide.
tobacco.reality.unfiltered was developed by a Raleigh media company
under contract to the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission (HWTFC).
The campaign will include posters, a brochure, a web splash page and collateral
items for teens. All campaign elements were focus group tested with North
Carolina teens.
The HWTFC, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue, receives 25
percent of North Carolina’s share of the national tobacco settlement funds.
The Commission has allocated $18.6 million over three years to fight
teen tobacco use, including school and community grants, the media campaign,
and grants targeting the African American, Hispanic/Latino and American
Indian communities.
The campaign ads, which will run through October 2003, are available
for additional placements by HWTFC grantees and N.C. Tobacco Prevention
and Control Branch grantees. Listen to the ads at
www.realityunfiltered.com.
Tobacco-Free School Policies on the Move!
This spring has brought a surge in new 100% tobacco-free school policies
in North Carolina, bringing the total number of tobacco-free school systems
to 20. A 100% tobacco-free school does not allow tobacco use anywhere on
campus at any time by anyone. This includes visitors and contractor, and
also includes school vehicles and school-sponsored events.
Newest tobacco-free school systems in N.C. are Durham County, Edenton-Chowan,
and Orange County.
The Durham teens who work for ?Y Central Region led the efforts there.
It took a year of testifying before the school board, talking with school
board members individually, collecting petition signatures, and collaborating
with the Durham Center and the Durham County Health Department, but finally
the policy was adopted.
"The key issue is what kind of school environment you want to have for
your kids," said Suzanne DePalma, N.C. Director for Tobacco Free Schools.
"When adults smoke at school, they are teaching their students to smoke."
Current 100% tobacco-free schools include: Asheville City, Caldwell,
Carteret, Chapel Hill/Carborro, Cumberland, Durham, Edenton-Chowan, Gates,
Guilford, Henderson, Hertford, Hickory City, Kannapolis City, New Hanover,
Orange, Pender, Perquimans, Polk, Rowan-Salisbury, and Thomasville City.
According to DePalma, 45 more school districts are currently working
to advance a 100% tobacco-free schools policy.
Urban Legends Exposed:
TOBACCO
AND MARIJUANA
As a regular feature in The Voice Box, we will address Urban
Legends about tobacco that we hear circulating in North Carolina and give
the real information to correct them. So go ahead, ask a silly question,
and let us know if you hear something that you are not sure is true.
- Myth: More Americans smoke marijuana than tobacco. (Teens
often tell us that they think more people smoke marijuana than cigarettes.
That does not turn out to be true.)
- Reality: Many more Americans use cigarettes than marijuana.
According to the National Household Study on Drug Abuse (2000), among Americans
age 12 and older, 24.9 percent had smoked a cigarette during the past month,
while only 4.8 percent used marijuana or hashish during the same period
of time. Looking at lifetime use, while 66.5 percent had ever smoked a
cigarette, only 34.2 percent had ever used marijuana or hashish.
Youth Empowerment Manual Now Available
The ?Y Youth Empowerment Program for Tobacco Control has released the premier
guide on how to work with groups of youths on tobacco prevention and control
policy at the state and local levels.
Youth Empowerment for Tobacco Control was developed by the N.C.
Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch’s Youth Empowerment initiative, funded
by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Adult and teen staff and volunteers
from the three youth centers (West – Asheville, Central – Durham, and East
– Wilmington) contributed to this comprehensive manual, which includes
information on planning, implementing and evaluating youth tobacco control
activities. It’s also full of useful documents that can be modified for
local use.
SMOKE-FREE MALL IN KINSTON
Kinston/Lenoir County One-on-One is a mentoring and teenage pregnancy
prevention program in Kinston, North Carolina. One of the many programs
offered through the agency is a youth council comprised of twelve 7th
and 9th graders.
The youth council has been instrumental in tobacco prevention. Students
participate in discussions and activities to learn about the harmful effects
tobacco has on its users and the people who come in contact with them.
During this process, the youth created a 60-second no-smoking commercial.
The commercial’s theme was "Please Don’t Smoke, Life’s Too Short" and was
aired on local and high-rated cable stations such as Nickelodeon, Lifetime
and BET.
In an effort to continue the fight against tobacco use, the council
urged Vernon Park Mall officials to adopt a no-smoking policy. The council’s
focus was a location where teenagers spent many afternoons and weekends.
By targeting the mall to change their policy, the youth could reach teenagers
to avoid the single most preventable cause of death in the United States.
On Thursday, January 9, 2003, the youth council and mall management announced
the New Year’s resolution for a smoke-free mall.
This event was adopted officially after a ceremony was held in the center
court of Vernon Park Mall. The youth presented mall manager Mary Thompson
with a fresh-air bouquet. Governor Mike Easley also sent a letter commending
the youth for their accomplishments. The commercial was viewed and many
vendors set up booths displaying smoke-free messages.
MEDIA LITERACY TRAINING AVAILABLE
"Being literate in today’s society requires more than knowing how
to read, write or do arithmetic. Many of the media messages about tobacco,
alcohol and other drugs entice youth with glamorous images. Teaching your
students to be critical thinkers about media messages can help them . .
. resist the temptation to become users." Donna Shalala, United States
Secretary of Health and Human Services, 1996.
Several representatives of TPCB youth programs recently attended a day-long
training in a media literacy curriculum aimed at helping youth in grades
5-8 better understand alcohol and tobacco advertising. "The Visible and
the Vulnerable" is a six-hour curriculum that can be presented in two to
six sessions. The curriculum was developed through a grant funded by the
U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention through the
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Mental
Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services Section,
and in collaboration with a grant funded by the American Legacy Foundation
through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Tobacco
Prevention Control Branch. The Governor’s Institute on Alcohol and Substance
Abuse, Inc., then implemented it. The first edition was printed in 2001,
tested in a variety of youth serving agencies in Wake County, and implemented
in two Durham County North Carolina public schools. At the request of the
Durham school health teachers, this second printing was revised to add
more background and classroom content on alcohol and tobacco. At the request
of the trainers, the curriculum was reformatted in a more user-friendly
fashion.
To connect with a trainer, who can bring this curriculum to your youth
group, contact Olaunda Williams at the Governor’s Institute. (919) 990-9559
Upcoming Events:
May-June 2003
May 8th
10:00 am - 1:00 pm, 1318 Dale Street, TPC Branch
Conference Room, Raleigh
Tobacco Free Schools Task Force Meeting
Contact Suzanne DePalma, 919-715-4409
May 13th
6:00pm
School Board Meeting
CMS Board of Education, Charlotte
100% Tobacco Free Policy
Contact Ebony Randall 704-336-4660
June 10-13
Lenoir-Rhyne College
NC Healthful Living Institute, Hickory
Contact Dorothea Brock, 919-807-3860
June 16th
11 am - 1:00 pm, American Heart Association Bldg.,
Morrisville
Information on Preemption and Tobacco in N.C.
Contact Annie Butzen, 919-843-8615
June 16th
1:30 - 3:30 pm, American Heart Association Bldg.,
Morrisville
N.C. Alliance for Health
Contact Pam Seamans, 919-403-9204
June 23-25
Broadening Our Horizons: School Health Issues
and Opportunities
Greensboro Embassy Suites, Greensboro
Contact Becky Procter at 919-715-6483 or
email
June 25, 2003
2003 Asthma Summit
Friday Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
July 17-20
Brown Summit, N.C.
Seventh African American Tobacco Use Prevention Retreat
Contact Barbara Clark at 919-733-1355
Ongoing: May-June 2003
Regional Forums on Reducing Tobacco Sales to Minors
N.C. ALE and N.C. Division of Mental Health, Developmental
Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services
Voices from the Vision 2010 Conference
I wish N.C. had additional media funding. (a comment in response
to seeing the Indiana Campaign and the HWTFC's Reality Unfiltered Campaign)
The array of presenters was informative, engaging and available for
follow-up…it is my hope that we can implement these ideas and pass this
on to others.
Next time: have Don Shopland do a much longer timeslot--great information;
we could use it in numerous situations (a comment pertaining to a presentation
on eliminating secondhand smoke)
Lots of information. Much seemed repetitive; especially for those
of us who attended April 8, 9 and 10. Last day was too long…we needed to
get home.
I went home with many practical tools and ideas…EXCELLENT!!! Very
inspiring and very informative!
WOW! The Southern High Drum Corps! Every conference should end with
this kind of high energy!
Not enough Success Stories…Need more storytelling next time!
It is great we are finally talking about what is science-based and
what those strategies are.... I would like more on evaluation--what questions
should we be asking?
Thanks for defining disparities in a larger context…Kevin Collins
is a very natural, interesting, dynamic speaker.
I wish I had more folks here from my community!
?Y Resource book and Youth are terrific! Wendy Lesko, Sara Cox and
Delmonte Jefferson are inspiring! I was especially impressed with the youth.
Best Session!
Smoke-Free Air session very dynamic; loved the interaction and discussion;
Annie Butzen is terrific, so knowledgeable!
This was a very rewarding experience…What ever you do next year,
I'll be there!
Thanks for taking the time to read the first issue
of The Voice Box: Voices from Tobacco Prevention and Control in N.C. We
want this newsletter to be a source of information for advocates all over
North Carolina, and we want to hear EVERYONE’S Voice. If you have feedback
or comments please let us know, OR you can contribute your own story about
tobacco prevention and control in N.C. Please send to Julie Helsabeck.
