Lakehead University Athletics and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit are very proud to announce their new anti-tobacco campaign for youth. The program will entail presentations by representatives of the TBDHU and Lakehead athletes at local schools so children can hear from both the athletes and health educators why it is important for them to stay tobacco free in their lives.
Lakehead Athletic Director Tom Warden said Lakehead Athletics is very happy to take part in this very important health campaign for youth. As a department, we are always very concerned with promoting healthy lifestyle choices for young people and this campaign is a great way to get the word out to local kids that tobacco is a dead end street.
TBDHU Public Health Nurse Susan Trevisan said this is an important issue for local kids. "The partnership with the Thunderwolves provides an exciting health promotion opportunity for the youth in Thunder Bay. Their efforts to assist youth with healthy lifestyle choices are really appreciated and they can be great role models and teachers for the kids in our area.
Lakehead Athletes such as Kris Callaway, Grant McCune, Craig Priestlay,Katerina Martinovic, Yasin Kaya, and Julianne Pretto will take part in the campaign beginning next week at eight local schools. The schools being visited next week are E. Q. Jennings, Edgewater Park, McKenzie, Mckellar Park, Sherbrooke, Ecole Gron Morgan, Port Arthur Collegiate, and Sacred Heart.
As well as Lakehead having a total ban on smoking on campus, Lakehead Athletics has a tobacco free sports policy that reflects the departments concerns for its athletes health and well being and Lakehead Athletics wants to spread the message of a healthy lifestyle to the kids of Thunder Bay. One of the targets of the campaign is to raise awareness of the dangers of non-smoking sources of tobacco such as chewing tobacco and spit tobacco.
As part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum, Grade 4 - 8 students receive information about tobacco, substance abuse, and decision-making. It is unfortunate to then witness many children experimenting with tobacco contrary to their acquired knowledge of the hazards. Some decide to try smokeless tobacco believing it to be a 'safe' alternative to smoking cigarettes.
According to the 2001 Northwestern Ontario Student Drug Use Survey, students who reported having at least one full cigarette in the past year in Thunder Bay remained at approximately 28%. What is not shown here is other tobacco use such as smokeless tobacco or spit tobacco.
A recent trend has been noted anecdotally from discussions with youth. It appears that young people experiment with smokeless tobacco at a similar age as cigarettes but become addicted much faster. Alarmingly, the habit for many is associated with team sports, especially hockey. They may be experimenting with this product under the false assumption that it is a safe alternative to smoking due to the absence of smoke.
Lakehead University Athletics and Thunderwolves athletes have joined a community-wide team effort to address the alarming rates of youth tobacco use in Northwestern Ontario. Lakeheads young athletes can relate to the pressures the youth face to fit in. The interactive sessions will allow kids to meet high profile sports athletes and hear how they dealt with peer pressure.
Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of death in Canada. The best offense is a great defense and Lakehead Athletics and the TBDHU believe this defense comes through education.