News and Events
Making a Difference through Indian River’s Tobacco Free Partnership
Leslie Spurlock, March 10, 2015
The entire community benefits when people who do dissimilar work organize as a Partnership and share their knowledge. Since 2012, Tobacco Free Partners have had the goal of increasing the percentage of youth who do not use tobacco. As reported in the 2014 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, their collective efforts are making a difference!
The results of the 2014 Youth Tobacco Survey of middle school and high school students show a 36% decrease in the percentage of Indian River youth that use any form of tobacco. Overall tobacco use in any form by 11-17 year olds decreased from 16.3% in 2012 to 10.4% in 2014.
The biggest decrease in the percentage of youth tobacco use came from Indian River middle school students whose use of tobacco in any form decreased from 7.4% to 4.3% in 2014, which is a 42% decrease!
Stated positively, 89.6% of Indian River’s student body ages 11-17 do NOT use tobacco of any kind; 82.3% of Indian River’s High School students do not use tobacco in any form; and 95.7% of middle school students do not use any form of tobacco.
Shared Partnership knowledge is making a difference in decreasing youth tobacco use. Partnership members take time to learn about new tobacco products and industry tactics. Partners are involved publicly and privately in creating support for tobacco control policies and making others aware of tobacco industry efforts to target children and youth. As a Partnership, members benefit personally and professionally from shared alliances, connections, interests, cooperation, and collaboration. Together, Partnership members are making a difference in youth tobacco use.
For more information, contact Leslie Spurlock at lspurlock@quitdoc.com.
