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Creating smoke-free environments in recreational settings
B Giles-Corti1, J P Clarkson, R J Donovan
1Albany Centre and Department of Public Health at the University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Summary
Australian health promotion foundations successfully reduced tobacco sponsorship by implementing smoke-free policies in recreational settings. This initiative increased policy support and compliance, decreasing environmental tobacco smoke exposure.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Promotion
- Tobacco Control
Background:
- Australian health promotion foundations were established to replace tobacco industry sponsorship in sports, arts, and racing.
- Health sponsorship offers benefits including naming rights, signage, and the implementation of structural controls like smoke-free policies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of health sponsorship by the West Australian Health Promotion Foundation (Healthway) on smoke-free policies.
- To assess spectator and community support for these smoke-free policies.
Main Methods:
- Data collected through spectator surveys and observations at Healthway-sponsored events.
- Surveys administered to Healthway-sponsored organizations and the general community.
Main Results:
- Healthway's health sponsorship significantly increased the prevalence of smoke-free policies in recreational settings.
- Growing public and stakeholder support for smoke-free policies was observed.
- Good compliance with smoke-free policies was evident, leading to reduced exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.
Conclusions:
- Health sponsorship is an effective strategy for increasing smoke-free policies in recreational environments.
- Collaborative approaches with non-health sectors, incremental change, and stakeholder engagement are key to successful policy implementation.
- Communicating evaluation results is crucial for gaining and maintaining stakeholder support for public health initiatives.