GLENDALE, UT –
The Southwest Utah Public Health Department (SWUPHD) is announcing that the
Glendale town council recently passed an outdoor smoking ordinance which
restricts tobacco use on county property,
including the town park and cemetery. Glendale Town joins over 60 other
counties and cities in Utah that have adopted outdoor smoking policies.
Research shows
that public tobacco policies play a part in discouraging youth from beginning
to smoke. “Creating a healthy environment through consistent messaging at home,
school, the work place and the community is key for our youth, because 90% of
adult smokers start on or before the age of 18," says Lexie Little, SWUPHD
Community Outreach Specialist. "Coupled with the fact that nearly 80% of
adult smokers want to quit, it makes sense to help kids avoid smoking in the
first place."
Despite
significant declines the past few decades, tobacco use remains a public health
challenge.
Smoking
continues to be the #1 preventable killer in the United States, taking 480,000
lives annually. Nearly 50,000 of those premature deaths are linked to exposure
to secondhand smoke. About half of all Utahns are exposed to secondhand smoke
in outdoor settings on a weekly basis.
For more
information on the new Glendale Town ordinance, visit www.glendaletown.com.
For adults and youth wanting to quit smoking, free cessation services can
be found by visiting www.waytoquit.org or calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
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