By Jessica Draper, Certified Health Education Specialist, Hult Center for Healthy Living
What is the number one unhealthy behavior choice that directly affects other people — even those choosing not to engage in unhealthy behaviors? Is it not getting enough sleep? Eating five cookies a day? Taking the elevator instead of the stairs? Not quite. None of these choices have direct health impacts on other people.
Smoking is a prime example of a behavior choice that affects everyone around the smoker. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, there is no level of exposure to secondhand smoke that is safe. Secondhand smoke is created in two ways: it is exhaled out of the lungs by the smoker, and it is emitted from the end of a lit cigarette. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, 70 of which are known to cause cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 2.5 million non-smoking adults have died since 1964 as a result of breathing in secondhand smoke.
Because of the scientific evidence proving the harmful effects of smoking and secondhand smoke, smoke-free initiatives are booming across the nation, including many indoor spaces, worksites, college campuses, and multi-unit housing facilities. For these reasons, the Hult Center for Healthy Living is dedicated to spreading the word about the benefits of smoke-free communities and assisting indoor and outdoor spaces in transitioning to a smoke-free environment in the Peoria area. The Hult Center currently has funding through the Illinois Department of Public Health to help achieve specific goals outlined in the Illinois Tobacco Free Communities initiative. This year, the goals include working with property managers of multi-unit housing establishments in transitioning to smoke-free buildings and assisting a local private university in moving towards a smoke-free campus.
As of October 2nd, 2015, 1,620 college campuses have transitioned to being completely smoke-free, with 769 of those schools including e-cigarettes in their policy as well. In Illinois, all state-funded college and university campuses were required to go smoke-free as of July 1st, 2015. Private college and university campuses were not required to, but currently there are efforts from the student senate at Bradley University to create a smoke-free resolution that fits the needs of their student population. The Hult Center is working to bring organizations together on campus to bring support and awareness to this resolution.
Maintaining a smoke-free home is something many property owners and renters choose to do on their own. Unfortunately for those that live in multi-unit buildings, that choice can be taken away. Up to 65% of air in multi-unit buildings is shared air with other units in the building. The smoke can leech through the ventilation system, cracks in the walls and plumbing. Therefore, if one person smokes in a multi-unit building, it affects everyone else living in other units. There is also research indicating the dangers of third hand smoke — the smoke that lingers in walls and carpeting left behind by a previous resident. The Hult Center educates property managers and helps survey residents to gain insight into different opinions and concerns before creating a policy that would best suit the needs of their residents and the community.
Smoking is not a right — it’s a choice — and everybody should have the right to breathe smoke-free air wherever they choose to live, play, study, and work.
For more information and resources regarding smoke-free programs, please call the Hult Center for Healthy Living at 309-692-6650 or visit us at hulthealthy.org.
Sources upon request
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