ACCELERATING NATIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH OUTCOMES THROUGH REINFORCING PARTNERSHIPS

SMOKE FREE ATLANTA COALITION LAUNCHESPUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

It’s important for people to know how toxic secondhand smoke is, several of my musician friends have died because of exposure to secondhand smoke.”

– Lewis McTush, member of Atlanta Blues Society and Smoke Free Rights for All

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The American Heart Association through its Accelerating National Community Health Outcomes through Reinforcing (ANCHOR) Partnerships Program is working with the Smoke Free Atlanta Coalition to build public and organizational support to make all workplaces and public places in Atlanta smoke-free. As part of these efforts, the campaign has developed messaging that draws the public’s attention to the dangers of secondhand smoke, which can increase the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and other serious health problems. The American Heart Association (AHA) is collaborating with the Smoke Free Atlanta Coalition to implement a public awareness campaign about the health risks associated with secondhand smoke. Public education and understanding is critical in generating support for smoke-free environments.

Annually, 480,000 adults in the United States die prematurely because of smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic. In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke can increase the risk of stroke by 20% to 30%. Any exposure to secondhand smoke is harmful – there is no safe level of exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over 3 million Georgians are still exposed to secondhand smoke in public places such as certain restaurants, bars and designated smoking areas inside airports. In Atlanta, smoking is allowed in restaurants and bars that prohibit the entrance of minors, as well as a few other worksites.

The Challenge

ANCHOR

Work made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Last year, the AHA convened stakeholders, organizations and smoke-free champions to form the Smoke Free Atlanta Coalition. The new alliance is collaborating on a comprehensive campaign that will engage the public, community organizations, businesses, key leaders and decision makers to heighten awareness about the dangerous impact of tobacco smoke on public health, even among those who do not use tobacco products, with the aim to create smoke-free environments. The coalition has developed a number of products, materials, tools and resources for dissemination that share scientific facts and statistics about the risks associated with secondhand smoke. The messaging sheds light about the common dangers face each day by thousands of employees - workers in the hospitality, restaurant and other industries – just by going to work in environments that allow smoking indoors. All Georgians have a right to breath smoke-free air.

The Solution

Educating the public has helped increase the awareness about the dangers of secondhand smoke especially to people who do not use tobacco products. Coalition members shared infographics, distributed pledge cards and developed landing pages offering health facts about tobacco use with Atlanta residents, business and policy leaders, journalists and civic groups. Coalition members aired public service announcements on the radio, and posted messages on social media platforms. They also purchased ads on Pandora Radio to target millennials. The web-based ads alone reached about 250,000 Atlanta listeners under the age of 44. Meanwhile, bus shelter advertisements effectively targeted a cross section of the public, as did website ads placed with the Atlanta Journal- Constitution. The digital ads yielded nearly 508,000 impressions within a one-month period.

Results

Sustaining SuccessThe coalition’s public education is an ongoing movement. The resource materials and ads created for the current campaign will continue to be available and shared with Atlanta residents, businesses and policy leaders trying to build momentum for embracing smoke-free environments. Public education will continue through a wide variety of approaches including wellness fairs, outdoor advertisements, public service announcements and social media posts. The message: there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and everyone has the right to a smoke-free work environment.

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Policy, System and Environmental ChangeThe creation of the Smoke Free Atlanta Coalition is cultivating community support for a smoke free environment. By raising public awareness about the dangers of smoking, the coalition has also helped advance the issue that all residents have the right to breathe clean air. Because of the public attention on the issue, the Smoke Free Atlanta Coalition messaging is gaining traction as some bar and restaurant owners have decided to adopt their own smoke-free policy and voluntarily make their venues smoke free.

Get InvolvedEveryone has the right to breath smoke-free air. Learn more about how to turn this right into a reality. Pledge your support online or find ways to volunteer by contacting the Smoke Free Atlanta campaign at www.heart.org/smokefreeatlanta or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SmokeFreeATL.