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Tobacco-Free Parks in Minnesota:
A Success Story
Brittany McFadden,
Christina Thill,
Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation
Minnesota Department of Health
2005 National Conference on Tobacco or Health
Chicago, Illinois
May 6, 2005
Objectives
• Learn successful strategies for adopting
tobacco-free policies for park and
recreational areas
• Gain a better understanding of the
steps taken in 62 Minnesota
communities that led to the adoption of
tobacco-free park policies
Evidence Supporting
Our Recommendations
• The Surgeon General’s Report (1994) and CDC
recommend that communities adopt smoke-free
policies as a strategy to prevent youth smoking
• MDH supports locally driven efforts to create
tobacco-free environments and change
community norms
• These are important strategies for decreasing
youth smoking rates
Park Policies Lay the Foundation
for Future Local Policy Work
• Build relationships with policy makers
• Engage community members in policy
discussions
• Build momentum for worksite
ordinances
• Change community norms
Overview
• MDH awarded a Statewide grant to the Association
for Nonsmokers—Minnesota for Tobacco-Free Youth
Recreation (TFYR) to work with youth recreation
organizations to adopt policies restricting tobacco
use
TFYR Overview
• Currently, MDH funds TFYR to provide technical
assistance and materials to MDH grantees and other
advocates working on tobacco-free park and
recreation policy initiatives in Minnesota
• TFYR develops and maintains partnerships with
statewide recreation organizations to build support
for outdoor tobacco-free environments
Minnesota:
A State for Recreation
• There are 72 state parks and several
National Parks
• 8.5 million visitors a year
• 12,000 lakes
• One boat for every six residents
• Over 450 golf courses
• 15,000 miles of snowmobile trails
TFYR’s Initial Focus
(2000-2002)
• Original grant funding focused on youth
prevention (2000 – 2003)
• Created prevention materials such as
pledges, posters, and fact sheets
• Policy activities focused on teams, clubs, and
individual sports associations
• Collected sample city park policies from
around the nation
• A few city park systems adopted policies that
covered youth events or activities
TFYR’s Initial Focus
(2002-2003)
• In late 2002, developed “Playing Tobacco
Free” policy advocacy handbook for tobacco
control advocates
• First nearly all-inclusive city park policy was
New Brighton in May 2003; Plymouth’s
became the standard in October 2003.
TFYR’s Current Focus
(2004-2005)
• Policy activities focus on making entire city
park systems tobacco free
• Current focus on technical assistance
TFYR’s Technical
Assistance Role
• Minnesota experts on tobacco-free park
policies
• MDH grantees, local community health
agencies, and youth groups are working on
tobacco-free park policies in their
communities
• TFYR mobilizes grantees if TFYR is
approached by a city; otherwise the grantee
selects the city with TFYR’s assistance
TFYR’s Technical
Assistance Role
• Trains grantees; then assists the grantee in
training their coalition
• After training, provides regular advice and
assistance via email, phone, meetings
• Attends policy makers’ meetings to provide
support and answer difficult questions
• Assists with publicity ideas, media calls, etc.
• Provides up to 100 metal tobacco-free signs per
community
• Creates all other necessary materials for policy
initiatives
Why are communities
working on park policies?
• Help change social norms about tobacco use
• Ensure that participants and spectators are
not exposed to secondhand smoke
• Promote positive role modeling
• Involve youth and community members in
advocacy
• Reduce harmful cigarette litter
Implications of Tobacco Use
at Recreational Activities
• People can be exposed to secondhand smoke levels
that can be as high as those found indoors
• Often a nuisance and safety concern
 Risk of infants/toddlers ingesting cigarette butts
 Significant litter burden
• Since recreational activities become places where
young people develop attitudes and make lifestyle
choices, adults involved in these activities are role
models in the eyes of youth and influence youth by
the example they set
 Tobacco use is promoted to youth as acceptable when it is
used by these role models in any recreational setting
Cigarette Litter:
A Key Concern
• Discarded cigarettes:
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Pollute the land and water
Risk of ingestion by toddlers, pets, fish, and birds
Diminishes beauty of parks and beaches
Require add’l expenses to clean up
• Cigarettes were #1 source of litter on
MN beaches during the 2003 Coastal Cleanup
– 5,960 cigarettes
– 50% of total items collected (34% = int’l avg.)
– www.coastalcleanup.org
• City officials interested in reducing park litter
Minnesotans support
tobacco-free park policies
• Tobacco-Free Park & Recreation Study carried out
by the University of Minnesota in summer of 2004
– Survey mailed to 2,400 adults from metro and
greater MN
– 1,500 surveys returned
• Results:
– 70% of Minnesota adults support tobacco-free park
and recreation areas
– 66% of golfers support these policies
– 73% of families with children support these policies
Types of Policy
Initiatives
• School grounds/recreational facilities
• City- or county-owned outdoor recreational
areas
– Parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, beaches, etc.
– Some MN policies cover only youth events
– Recent MN trend is toward “all property”
policies for city- and county-owned park areas
TFYR’s Policy Advocacy Handbook
• Developed in 2002
• Focuses on park
policies
• Available online:
www.ansrmn.org/TFYR0
3Resources.htm
Mobilize Your Partnership
(Steps 1-2)
• Assess your group’s readiness
• Attend TFYR’s policy initiative training
– Youth training packet
Involving Youth
Advocates
• Hands-on project that usually gets positive
results
• Youth are natural advocates since they are
the regular park users
• Youth gain experience in local government
and public speaking
• Opportunity to gain volunteer hours/improve
college applications
Assess the Community
(Steps 3-6)
• Determine who makes the decisions
• Inventory the community’s recreational
facilities
• Gauge community support
• Develop your policy request
Build Policy Support
(Steps 7-10)
• Ask community members to support your policy
request
– Brochures
– Sample letters of support & petitions
– TFYR portable display
• Collect cigarette butts as evidence
• Capitalize on media advocacy
• Find a champion from the Park & Rec staff
• Hold informal discussions with policy makers
Assist with Policy Adoption
(Steps 11-16)
• Get on the agenda of Park Board or City
Council meeting
• Plan your presentation & prepare speakers
– TFYR powerpoint
– Policy Maker’s Guide
• Present policy request and evidence
• Assist in policy development
• Continue building support
• Attend remaining public hearings
Life after
Policy Adoption
(Steps 17-18)
• Assist with policy implementation
– Tobacco-free park signs
– Policy publicity packet
– Thank you postcards
• Look for opportunities to promote the
tobacco-free message
TFYR Publicity
Materials
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Signs
Ads
Display
Postcards
Banners
Pledges
Posters
TFYR Successes
• 62 policies in five years!
• Created a domino effect
• Signs are becoming recognizable from
city to city
• More cities are considering policies
• Unique niche of policy work
Current Policy Trends
• Twice as many greater MN cities have
policies, but greater % of metro policies
are stronger
• Most MN policies cover all or nearly all
park property
– Two metro cities have included golf courses
– Beaches, athletic fields, trails, playgrounds,
etc.
U of MN Tobacco-Free
Park & Recreation Study
Minnesota park directors’ observations
after implementing policies:
• 88% reported no change in park usage
(no loss of park users)
• 71% reported less smoking in parks
• 58% reported cleaner park areas
U of MN Tobacco-Free
Park & Recreation Study
• Communities without policies have
enforcement concerns
Of the MN Park Directors surveyed:
• 73% concerned about whether there
should be penalties
• 90% concerned about enforcement
• 49% concerned with lack public of interest
U of MN Tobacco-Free
Park & Recreation Study
• Enforcement concerns are unfounded
where policies are in place
Of the MN Park Directors surveyed:
• 26% reported compliance issues
• 24% reported staff concerns about
enforcement
• 39% reported difficulty monitoring areas
covered by the policy
Lessons Learned:
Statewide Perspective
• Justifying outdoor policy work is difficult
• Need more research on the effects of
secondhand smoke outdoors
• Evaluation is key (U of MN survey)
• Lack support from some statewide partners
• Lack of policy advocacy knowledge at the
local level
• Continued funding is always a concern
Lessons Learned
from Local Advocates
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Community organizing is hard work!
Community coalition members are essential
Gather support before getting on agenda
Community politics play an important role
Find a champion inside City Hall
Know how the policy makers will vote
Entire process can take from 3 to 12 months
Policies do not always pass easily, but you can
make a difference through tobacco-free parks
Playing Tobacco Free
in Anoka County
• Current local MDH grantee
• Locally driven effort to create tobaccofree environments to reduce youth
tobacco use.
Anoka County Demographics
• 4th most populated county in Minnesota
• Located in the northern part of the Twin Cities
metro area
• From 1990 to 2000, Anoka County grew
almost twice as fast as the rest of Minnesota
• Home to the National Sports Center
Focus on
Tobacco-free Environments
• Survey data of Anoka County 6th graders indicate that
youth perceive that most adults use tobacco products.
• 53% of 6th grade respondents indicated that they
believe “most or almost all adults use tobacco
products” (Anoka County CHES, 2001, 2002)
How Many Adults Smoke Cigarettes or
Use Chewing Tobacco?
60
50
53
44
40
Most/ Almost All
A Few/Some
None
30
20
10
1
0
All Schools
Focus on
Tobacco-free Environments
• Smoking by youth and adults and
secondhand smoke were identified as
major community health problems,
according to Anoka County’s community
assessment
Community
Organizing Efforts
• County divided into five
regions
• Key Partners were
identified in each region
to lead efforts
• Funding allocated to
regions
• TFYR provided technical
expertise in coordination
with Anoka County
Community Health
Department
Community Organizing Efforts
• Key Partners include community-based organizations that
are:
• Willing to reinforce the message that youth tobacco use is
unhealthy and secondhand smoke is harmful
• Willing to bring together community partners, including
individuals and organizations, to advocate for tobacco-free
park policies
• Initiative supports Key Partners with technical assistance
and resources in each community’s efforts to advocate for
and implement city tobacco-free park policies
• Key Partner meetings held quarterly to provide training and
networking
Youth Involvement
• Training
• Effective
messengers
• Cigarette litter
collections
• Letters of support
• Energy
Advocacy Resources
Provides Consistent Key Messages
Individual Policy Efforts
• Coon Rapids
• Anoka
• Ramsey
• Andover
First Steps
• Work with Key Partner to identify and recruit
other coalition members
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Coon Rapids Youth Soccer Assn
Andover Anoka Ramsey Youth First
Ramsey Police Department
Andover Area Lacrosse Assn
Coalition develops policy request
Youth collect cigarette litter
Attempt to discuss idea with park director
Collect letters of support
Policy Adoption Process
• Community presentations to policy makers
– Park Boards
– City Council workshops
– City Council meetings
• Stay informed as to agenda and meeting
changes
• Prepare speakers ahead of time and practice
prior to the meeting
• How far are you willing to compromise your
policy request?
Example Policy
• Policy States:
“The City of Ramsey does not allow the use of
tobacco products on city-owned parkland, park
facilities, open space or joint city/school district
properties except within the confines of a vehicle
in a designated parking area.”
Playing Tobacco Free In Anoka County
• In nine months, four
communities adopted tobaccofree park policies
• 170 individuals and
organizations from across Anoka
County became involved in
tobacco-free advocacy efforts
• Youth have made positive
changes in their communities
through leadership on coalitions
• Unique media campaign has
been utilized by local coalitions to
educate the community and
promote tobacco-free policies
Publicizing the Policy is Critical!
Utilizing the TFYR Policy Publicity Packet:
• Post signs
• Media outlets
• Paid media
• Earned media
• City publicity plans
• City newsletters and program brochures
• Coaches and parents’ meetings
• Notification cards or bookmarks
• Table display at community venues
• Sports program
Customized Ads
Customized Ads
Thank You Postcard
Contact Information
• Brittany McFadden
Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation
(651) 646-3005
[email protected]
• Christina Thill
Minnesota Department of Health,
Tobacco Prevention and Control Office
(651) 281-9801
[email protected]