BUSINESS CASE FOR A SMOKE-FREE OUTDOOR BY-LAW

Transcription

1 BUSINESS CASE FOR A SMOKE-FREE OUTDOOR BY-LAW IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LEAMINGTON WINDSOR-ESSEX COUNTY HEALTH UNIT TOBACCO PROGRAM WECHU Youth Council THERESA SARKIS Youth Engagement Specialist KRISTA REMPEL Health Promotion Specialist

2 STRATEGY BACKGROUND Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy includes protection infrastructure and interventions: Health units play a pivotal role in reducing exposure to second-hand smoke through comprehensive protection policies such as smoke-free outdoor space by-laws. On-going health unit strategy since 2009: Collaborative project with community organizations including Go For Health Windsor-Essex. What s Sporting about Tobacco survey launched November 2009: 1165 Windsor-Essex County residents completed the survey. Results indicate that 67% of people in Windsor-Essex County strongly favour banning tobacco product use in outdoor sports and recreation areas.

3 STRATEGY BACKGROUND Windsor-Essex County Board of Health passed a resolution in January 2011: Encouraging the City of Windsor to develop and adopt a by-law banning smoking in all city-owned outdoor sport and recreation areas. Encouraging the County of Essex to develop and adopt a county-wide by-law banning smoking in all outdoor sport and recreation areas. Municipality of Lakeshore passed the first smoke-free outdoor space by-law in Windsor-Essex on October 9, 2012: Includes municipally owned parks, playgrounds, sports fields, and recreation centres. Why should Leamington consider a smoke-free outdoor space by-law?

4 HEALTH RISKS OF SECOND-HAND SMOKE There is no risk-free level of exposure to tobacco smoke 1. Infants and children exposed to second-hand smoke have a higher risk of dying from SIDS; they also have more frequent respiratory tract problems such as coughs, pneumonia, bronchitis, croup, and wheezing 2. Non-smoking adults exposed to second-hand smoke are at increased risk for lung cancer and respiratory problems 2. Depending on proximity and wind conditions, exposure to second-hand smoke can be just as high outdoors as indoors 3.

5 DE-NORMALIZING TOBACCO USE Smoke-free outdoor spaces assists in de-normalizing tobacco use 4. The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) for the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy recommends further protection of Ontarians from second-hand smoke in priority settings such as parks 5. The SAC feels that protection beyond the Smoke Free Ontario Act would assist in reducing social exposure to smoking- specifically to help reduce children and youth from starting to smoke 5.

6 CITY OF WOODSTOCK OUTDOOR SMOKING BY-LAW OUTCOMES Cessation Efforts 33% of smokers reported that the outdoor by-law helped them to cut down their cigarette use and almost 20% of smokers reported that the by-law made them more likely to quit smoking 6. Economic Impact The by-law did not have a significant negative impact on the use of facilities and businesses including parks and recreational fields 6.

7 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Cigarettes are the number one recovered littered item on beaches in Canada 7. 22% of the Windsor-Essex population are current daily smokers; therefore there are about smokers in Windsor-Essex 8. Daily smokers smoke an average of 14 cigarettes per day 9. In total, there are over 383 million cigarettes deposited in Windsor-Essex on an annual basis.

8 SMOKE-FREE OUTDOOR SPACE BY-LAW RECOMMENDATIONS Windsor-Essex County Health Unit s recommendations for a smoke-free outdoor space by-law include: parks, playgrounds, sports fields, recreation centres, and beaches. Other areas of consideration Almost 30% of Municipalities in Ontario have some kind of outdoor space regulation. 137/444 Ontario Municipalities 37 by-laws include municipally owned property. 4 by-laws include outdoor markets. 10 by-laws include restaurant and bars with patios. 9 by-laws include hospital grounds.

9 SMOKE-FREE OUTDOOR SPACES World No Tobacco Day May 31, 2013 Moving forward, let s make Leamington a safer and more environmentally friendly community by working together and passing a smoke-free outdoor space by-law by May 31, 2013.

10 REFERENCES 1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). Preventing tobacco use among youth and young adults: A report of the Surgeon General. Retrieved from reports/preventing-youth-tobacco-use/full-report.pdf 2. Health Canada. (2012). It s your health: Second-hand smoke. Retrieved from 3. Region of Peel. (2011). The health impact of exposure to outdoor tobacco smoke: A rapid review of the evidence. Retrieved from region.ca/health/resources/pdf/ots-eidm-mentoring-smoke.pdf 4. Song, A. V., & Glantz, S. A. (2008). Pushing secondhand smoke and the tobacco industry outside the social norm to reduce adolescent smoking. Retrieved from PMC /pdf/nihms pdf 5. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. (2012). Smoke-free Ontario strategy evaluation report. Retrieved from 6. Kennedy, R. D. (2010). Evaluation of the City of Woodstock s outdoor smoking by-law: A longitudinal study of smokers and non-smokers. Retrieved from 3/RDK_final_GSO_2ndrevision.pdf 7. Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. (2012). Facts & figures. Retrieved from 8. Statistics Canada. (2013). Health Profile. Retrieved from 1=3568&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Rate&SearchText=Windsor-Essex%20County %20Health%20Unit&SearchType=Contains&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=&Profile= Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey. (2011). Summary of annual results for Retrieved from