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Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine (PTM). Tobacco-Free Community Recreation Policy Initiative Mary Bourque, CHES Public Health Educator. Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine. PTM is a comprehensive tobacco use prevention and control state level program. Counter Marketing
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Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine (PTM) • Tobacco-Free Community Recreation Policy Initiative • Mary Bourque, CHES • Public Health Educator
Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine • PTM is a comprehensive tobacco use prevention and control state level program. • Counter Marketing • Community Programs • School Programs • Evaluation • Enforcement • Statewide Tobacco Treatment • Statewide Youth Advocacy Network
PTM Program Goals • Prevent Youth & Young Adults from Starting to Use Tobacco • Motivate & Assist Tobacco Users to Quit • Protect the Public From the Dangers of Secondhand Smoke • Identify and Eliminate Disparities Related to Tobacco Use Among Population Groups
Legislated Policy Successes to Create Tobacco-Free Environments • Public Place Law • Workplace Smoking Law • Restaurant Law • Bar Law
Youth Prevention • PTM has developed school and community policy initiatives as prevention tools designed to create tobacco-free environments for kids. • Prevention goals for policy development • Make “tobacco-free” the norm • Model healthy living
Tobacco-Free Recreation Policy • PTM’s vision of this initiative • Provide support to local park & recreation programs to pass tobacco-free policies for all of their facilities • Vision first presented to the board of the Maine Recreation & Park Association to receive their support • Questions raised concerning enforcement and adult activities
Reasons for a Tobacco-Free Community Recreation Policy • Breaks the connection between tobacco and recreation • Sends clear message to youth, leaders and parents that community recreation is serious about health of youth • Establishes a community norm that tobacco use is not acceptable • Limits opportunity for youth to engage in tobacco use • Involves community adults in role modeling tobacco-free living • Raises awareness of dangers of secondhand smoke • Reduces cigarette litter • Protects the health safety and welfare of everyone using recreation facilities
Task Group Developed to Plan Initiative & Design Policy Manual Working Group • PTM staff member • Healthy Maine Partnership Directors • Board Member – ME. Park & Recreation • Head Coach for “Soccer Maine” • Media Contractor
Plan Takes Shape • Research & literature says------ • Sharing success stories – case studies • Self-enforcing policies vs. ordinances? • Action plan • Resources for support – signage, reminder cards, presentation • Evaluation
PTM promotes a comprehensive policy • No tobacco use on property by anyone at any time • Tobacco use prevention training provided annually to all volunteer coaches and staff • Neither tobacco company sponsorship nor their resources accepted • Tobacco-free signage posted • Procedures that reinforce the tobacco-free norm developed and violations addressed in a positive manner
Re-enforcement vs. enforcement • The BIG question! How will we enforce this policy? • The workgroup debated this issue and, with experience from parks & recreation in Maine’s largest city, and only local health department, decided to stress positive reinforcement of policy. • The “we believe” theory of re-enforcement
Procedures for Positive Re-enforcement • Announce at all events • Post signage in visible places • Point to sign and ask person violating policy to stop • Politely give a reminder card to person violating policy • Encourage coaches and other leaders to be active, vocal supporters of policy • Focus on positive message, “we are creating a tobacco-free environment for children.”
Manual available on website • www.tobaccofreemaine.org • Click on “Prevention” • Community recreation – “click for more” • Scroll to the bottom – manual divided in 6 sections
Update on success • Rolled out manual and signage at annual Park & Recreation meeting in October 2004. • Presented initiative at regional meetings for the HMP staff • Presented the initiative and final copies of manual to the state Park & Rec Board. • Promoting rec policy required workplan objective for the HMP local grant sites
Update on success • PTM has received policies from 48 recreation programs throughout Maine and provided tobacco-free area signage to each site. • As signs go up in an area other communities are contacting PTM for information about developing tobacco-free policies