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East Central District Health
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Good Neighbor Programs
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Tobacco Prevention
WHAT WE'RE ABOUT
Tobacco Free Platte and Colfax Tobacco Prevention coalitions work to reduce exposure to
second hand smoke in homes and vehicles. As the communities become more aware of the
prevalence and risks of second hand smoke, it is hoped that attitudes and eventually behavioral
changes will occur.
It is also the intention of the coalitions to reduce initiation of smoking in the younger
population. When businesses are compliant with laws regarding tobacco sales to minors and
when teens become more aware of marketing done by the tobacco companies, it is hoped that
they will choose against smoking.
The Tobacco Prevention Coalitions were formed in 2001, and funding is provided to the
ECDHD by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services System/Tobacco Free
Nebraska program as a result of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.
COALITIONS
Interested members of the community are welcome to join the coalitions.
Tobacco Free Colfax County Coalition meets every second Monday of the month, from 12:05 to 1:00, at the Schuyler Municipal Building.
Tobacco Free Platte County Coalition meets every second Wednesday of the month, from 12:05 to 1:00, in the Hy-Vee Club Room.
Tobacco
Industry Influence in Nebraska (2007)
|
Annual
tobacco industry marketing expenditures
nationwide |
$13.4
billion |
|
Estimated
portion spent for Nebraska marketing each year |
$75.8
million |
Tobacco
Use in Nebraska
(2007)
|
High
school students who smoke |
19.7%
(20,400) |
|
Male
high school students who use smokeless or spit
tobacco |
15.2% (females
use much lower) |
|
Kids
(under 18) who become new daily smokers each year |
2,100 |
|
Kids
exposed to secondhand smoke at home |
96,000 |
|
Packs
of cigarettes bought or smoked by kids each year |
4.7
million |
|
Adults
in Nebraska who smoke |
19.9%
(263,300) |
Deaths
in Nebraska From Smoking
(2007)
|
Adults
who die each year from their own smoking |
2,200 |
|
Kids
now under 18 and alive in Nebraska who will ultimately die prematurely
from smoking |
36,000 |
|
Adult
nonsmokers who die each year from exposure to second hand smoke |
280 |
Smoking
kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders, and
suicides combined -- and thousands more die from other tobacco-related causes --
such as fires caused by smoking (more than 1,000 deaths/year nationwide) and
smokeless tobacco use. No good estimates are currently available, however, for
the number of Nebraska citizens who die from these other tobacco-related causes,
or for the much larger numbers who suffer from tobacco-related health problems
each year without actually dying.
SERVICES OFFERED
- Monthly coalition meetings in both Columbus and Schuyler.
- Speakers who are proponents of not smoking are available for community presentations
- Education for youth, primarily targeted to middle school and high school age kids.
- Participation in Health fairs and local events
- Speaking engagements
- Support for implementing LB395
- Promoting compliance to laws prohibiting sale of tobacco products to minors
- Brochures, posters, videos, CD's "hands on" style teaching aids
- Contests for schools and teen groups
COST OF SERVICE
Services are available free of charge.
BROCHURES AND VIDEOS
We have a large selection of tobacco prevention material available at our
office in the
Wellness Center at 3806 Howard Blvd. These include brochures,
displays, and teaching tools. Also available are videos from Tobacco Free
Nebraska.
LINKS
Smoke Free Nebraska
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
Tobacco Free Nebraska
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Tips 4 Youth
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