Finding Motivation
Identify, Assess, and Understand
Campuses who have the most success in passing a policy are the ones with movement that is sustained over time, that engage with students, faculty, and staff who have a personal connection to tobacco, and build their activities around their strengths and talents. These connections provide insight and perspective to an issue and community that can help provide effective policy movement that’s specific to the needs of that campus. They can also make it easier to develop the right partnerships, build trust with the campus leadership, and maintain motivation when the policy change process becomes challenging or stalls.
Identifying the Issues
Commercial tobacco is not only a major health concern. It is also an important social justice, environmental and economic issue of today.
Health Concerns
Tobacco-related deaths remain the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 people per year (a).
Tobacco kills more people each year than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined (b). Vaping among youth is now at epidemic levels. A whole new generation has become addicted to nicotine.
Social Justice
One of the major problems with tobacco is that certain populations of our society disproportionately bear the burden of tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases. Decades of tobacco industry target marketing has resulted in unfair health inequities. Youth and young adults, people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and or queer LGBTQ+) individuals, and low-income communities are often the hardest hit when it comes to tobacco use.
Environmental Impact
Cigarettes are the most littered item in the world (c). Contrary to popular belief, cigarettes are not biodegradable and don’t break down naturally. The youth vaping epidemic has also impacted the environment. While plastic straws and single-use plastic products have garnered a lot of attention for the damage they cause, little attention has been brought to tobacco products that also use single-use plastic like disposable e-cigarettes and vaping devices.
Economic Disparity
Tobacco also disproportionally impacts low-income communities. There tends to be more tobacco retailers in low-income neighborhoods than affluential ones, and where there are more retailers, there is more tobacco marketing. The more tobacco retailers and marketing, the more tobacco use rates in that community. The cost of this addiction is high - imagine spending $10 on a vape per week (that’s $520 a year!). This can have a significant impact on a person’s bank account.
Assessing Need
It’s important to build relationships with the individuals who you want to work with and be open about your intentions and plans. Once you have identified a motivated group of people, figuring out the best way to approach it will likely take research, time, and planning. Make a conscious decision to actively listen to those who will be impacted by a policy change. Sometimes in order to address one concern, you may need to address another.
Certain populations have been targeted by tobacco companies. It would be unfair to assume that these populations on campus would not be impacted also. That’s why it is important to analyze the policy change through a health equity lens in the assessment phase. Be sure to seriously consider the challenges that you may face as you plan out your SPARK activities and policy procedures. You should be prepared to address these concerns based on the unique characteristics of your campus.
Understanding the Community
Whether you are in an urban or rural community, all communities are complex and dynamic. Make sure you understand the dynamics on campus. Research your community, and find out who the influential campus leaders and decision-makers are, among the staff and student body. This understanding will help to inform your next steps, any adjustments you should make, and decide how to partner with others or start your next policy push.
Once you understand your community dynamics, it’s important to develop and implement a comprehensive tobacco-free campus policy without exemptions…