October 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 45

public smoking bans and can be useful when making policy proposals. The polling organization Gallup has found the general public to
be supportive of smoking bans in all public places, increasing from
just 39 percent in 2001 to 58 percent in 2015. Drilling down further,
Gallup found that 68 percent of women and 47 percent of men support bans, as well as 46 percent of 18-29-year-olds and 58 percent of
30-49-year-olds.
Local public opinion is more difficult to pin down, but a review
of 89 public opinion surveys, published in 2015 in the journal Tobacco Control, showed that support for tobacco-free school-grounds
and playgrounds is almost always above 80 percent. In addition, surveys conducted in several states focused specifically on parks and
green spaces produced smoking ban support ranging from 34 to 60
percent. Much of the difference in support between bans involving
" playgrounds " and " parks and green spaces " is likely because people tend to associate playgrounds with children, and are more likely
to advocate keeping tobacco away from kids (although, to be sure,
children are sure to be found in all the aforementioned settings).
Jumping on the Ban Bandwagon
Park and recreation departments should take advantage of widespread public support for tobacco bans in public spaces, as they can
add to the efforts of local governments, businesses and public health
experts to improve the well-being of citizens. Tobacco bans have
proven particularly effective in terms of deterrence. A 2012 study
published in Health & Space determined that, " banning smoking in
parks was associated with a heightened perception of difficulty to
smoke " among young adults, both smokers and nonsmokers. Deterring teen smoking should be a top priority because, according to
the Surgeon General's 2014 report on the effort to combat smoking,
87 percent of tobacco users start before age 18.
When it comes to parks and outdoor public spaces, however, the
main purpose for instituting tobacco-free policies is to combat the
damaging effects of secondhand smoke. In 2012, the CDC determined that roughly 58 million nonsmokers
in the United States, and two out of every
five children ages 3 to 11, were regularly
exposed to secondhand smoke. Although
parks and outdoor public areas are meant
to be safe and healthy environments, the
presence of secondhand smoke can make
potential park-users shy away. In the longrun, a decrease in public support and park
visitors because of secondhand smoke concerns could result in people being skeptical
of funding for park projects if they believe
that their concerns are being ignored.
There are also environmental and
	

cost-savings benefits associated with tobacco bans. Cigarette butts
are not biodegradable, meaning they will remain visible until they
are removed. In fact, a 2011 study published in Tobacco Control estimated that " tobacco product litter " comprises up to 36 percent
of all visible litter, with estimated removal costs ranging from $3
million to $16 million.
Best Practices
In August 2011, Philadelphia adopted a smoke-free regulation
that covered all recreation centers, playgrounds, ball fields,
courts and pools. Ultimately, the mayor signed an executive
order directing the commissioner of the park and recreation
department to adopt a smoke-free policy. Through various public outreach tactics, like handing out wallet cards with information on the new policy and engaging with visitors, support for
the policy was strong. Since the regulation's implementation,
222 public areas have been deemed smoke-free, along with 850
smoke-free acres and an estimated 3.6 million visits to park and
recreation facilities that will be smoke-free.
On a smaller scale, Mecklenburg County in North Carolina
instituted a smoking ban in all county-owned parks, greenways
and park property. Various agencies coordinated communication campaigns to get the word out and offered information
about help to quit smoking, like the QuitlineNC telephone hotline, a state-run service that provides callers who want to quit
smoking with guidance and support.
Park and recreation departments and employees are uniquely
positioned as they interact with community members and families on a daily basis, providing healthy places to play and enjoy
the fresh air. Advocacy of tobacco-free policies in our parks and
open spaces is the logical next step in the stewardship of community health and well-being.
Justin Hurdle is an Intern with NRPA's Urban and Government Affairs
department (jhurdle@nrpa.org).

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October 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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