NEWS RELEASE

J. Mark Bryant, Public Information Officer MBryant@MCHD.org | 251.690.8823

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March 8, 2016 MCHD to take part in national Kick Butts Day campaign MOBILE, Ala. — Kick Butts Day, a program sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, is scheduled for Wednesday, March 16. The national event will include activities that highlight the use of tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. According to organizers (www.kickbuttsday.org), tobacco kills 480,000 people each year. This is more than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. Statistics supplied for Alabama said 21.5 percent of all adults smoke, while 18 percent of high school students smoke. For male high school students, 23.1 percent use smokeless or spit tobacco. The report says more than 9.4 million packs of cigarettes are bought or smoked by Alabama children each year, while 5,200 under the age of 18 become new daily smokers each year. To deal with these issues, the Mobile County Health Department has sponsored the S.W.A.T. program, or Students Working Against Tobacco. Once again, they will be part of the Kick Butts Challenge at Cathedral Square in Downtown Mobile. The event, which is in partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps, will consist of a relay challenge. It will also focus on the importance of a smoke free/clean air environment when trying to be physically fit. S.W.A.T. members will also distribute materials informing those in attendance about the effects of tobacco and second-hand smoke. Stickers stating “This is a smoke-free facility” will be available for local businesses. The event that Wednesday will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the relay challenge taking place at noon. The Marines will provide the relay course. For additional information, contact Harold Jones — MCHD’s Tobacco Coordinator — at 251-544-2064 or at hjones@mchd.org.

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