Louisiana Public Health Institute
FACT:
Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of tobacco products and the smoke exhaled by smokers. It contains a complex mixture of more than 4,000 chemicals, 60 of which cause cancer.

view the source and read more tobacco facts.
mediapolicyregrantingcessationcommunityevaluation
 


The Louisiana Campaign
for Tobacco-Free Living
1515 Poydras Street, Suite 1200
New Orleans, LA 70112

Toll-Free Phone: 1-866-I-AM-4-TFL
Contact Us

©2008 TFL, All Rights Reserved.
Our Privacy Policy

An affiliated program of

Developed by LPHI:ITG



Lafayette School Board is First in State to Adopt 100% Smoke-Free School Campus Policy

December 7, 2005, Lafayette, LA The Lafayette Parish School Board voted tonight to create 100% smoke-free environments on all school properties. The measure to include parish-wide restrictions on outdoor smoking and the use of tobacco products is the first of its kind in Louisiana designed to help prevent students from picking up the habit while protecting nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke.

In Louisiana, it is estimated that 12,300 children under age 18 become new, daily smokers each year. Research shows that students who see teachers smoking on school grounds are twice as likely to be included in that number.

School campuses provide an important setting for interventions that can empower children to make healthful decisions about tobacco use, says Moriba Karamoko, Lafayette Area Regional Coordinator for the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL). Eliminating smoking (and use of other tobacco products) by students, teachers, and visitors on all school campuses sends a consistent and constructive message that will help Acadiana youth stay tobacco-free.

Preventing young people from starting to use tobacco in the first place is the most effective way to reduce death and disease caused by tobacco use. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 36% of Louisiana high school students in grades 9-12 smoke. A 2004 study for the Acadiana Coalition of Teens Against Tobacco reported that approximately 25% of 9th grade students in the Acadiana region are regular smokers, exceeding the national rate of 23.9%.

The revised Lafayette School Board policy models tobacco prevention programs credited with lowering youth tobacco use rates. While many districts in Louisiana have tobacco prevention programs that prohibit smoking inside of school buildings, Lafayettes policy is the first to eliminate all designated smoking areas, including outdoors. The policy also calls for free cessation programs for teachers and staff who would like help to quit.

Schools play a critical role in reducing youth smoking, adds Karamoko. Childrens attitudes and behaviors are influenced by what they see and experience. 100% tobacco-free schools set a standard for healthy living that our children will carry into adulthood.

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, a program of the Louisiana Public Health Institute, provides statewide coordination of existing tobacco control initiatives, funds innovative community programs for tobacco control, and develops statewide media campaigns to help reduce the excessive burden of tobacco use on the states resources and improve the overall health and quality of life. For more information on creating a smoke-free environment where you live, work, and play, visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org.