EVENT INFO CONTACT: Jason Stamm; 340-0409; jason.stamm@nashville.gov

Davidson County Youth Getting Ready to Take on Tobacco

Nashville’s Kick Butts Day Conference and Training: For Youth by Youth

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Youth from across Davidson County will gather Saturday, March 29^th, from 9am to 3pm at the Spruce Street Missionary Baptist Church ( 504 Spruce Street, Nashville) to learn about the dangers of tobacco use and what they can do to prevent others from starting.  Youth groups will also have the opportunity to receive training by the Metro Public Health Department’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB) about what they can do to stop retailer stores from selling tobacco to minors through their Tobacco Compliance program. 

            The Tobacco Compliance program has been used by the YAB for more than four years to perform compliance checks on tobacco retailers in Davidson County.  Last year, the YAB completed 131 compliance checks and found 20 retailers (15.3% noncompliance rate) willing to sell tobacco to minors.   Names of violators are submitted to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture for follow-up and stores may be fined for violating youth access laws if they continue to sell tobacco to minors.

            “This event will educate young people on how to make better behavioral decisions as it pertains to their health and tobacco” says Pastor Raymond Bowman of Spruce Street Baptist Church “and the faith community enthusiastically supports this effort that will help the youth of Nashville break their addiction to nicotine and all other drugs that could be stump their growth and development.”

            Youth from around Nashville will join thousands of kids across the country that are taking part in this year’s Kick Butts Day (KBD), a nationwide initiative that makes kids leaders in the effort to stop youth tobacco use.  Kick Butts Day provides an opportunity for youth to come together to learn about tobacco and what they can do in their community to fight big tobacco and prevent other youth from starting to smoke.

            Throughout the year, young advocates take part in a variety of activities to protect kids from tobacco, including working with elected officials to develop policies that reduce youth tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke and educating their peers about tobacco companies’ deceptive marketing practices.

            “This is a fun event for youth by youth because we do care and we can make a difference” said Precious Bond, a Health Department Youth Advisory Board member.  “This program gives youth a chance to do something in their community that will make a real difference.  It provides an opportunity to educate businesses about their bad practices and make the necessary change,” Bond said. 

            On Kick Butts Day, elementary, middle and high school students across the country organize KBD events to fight youth tobacco use.  Young people participate in a variety of KBD activities such as surveying tobacco advertising in their communities; urging local officials to support anti-tobacco ordinances; and tossing caps, hats, jackets and other items carrying tobacco brand names into giant dumpsters.  In 2007, thousands of kids carried out nearly 2,000 events, that number is expected to increase in 2008.

            “Kids are a powerful part of the solution to reducing youth tobacco use,” said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which coordinates Kick Butts Day events across the nation.   The Washington, DC-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is one of the largest non-governmental education and advocacy initiatives ever undertaken to decrease youth tobacco use in the United States. The Campaign strives to build a healthier future for our children by reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.

            Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 people every year. Every day, more than 4,000 kids try their first cigarettes; another 1,000 kids become addicted smokers, one-third of whom will die prematurely as a result.

            "Many kids don't realize how addictive nicotine is, and once a person is addicted it is incredibly difficult to stop smoking,” said Bill Paul, M.D., Director of Health for Metro public Health Department of Nashville/Davidson County.  “Eighty percent of adult smokers started smoking before age 15. This means we have got to make it easier for children and youth to avoid tobacco in the first place," Paul added.

            This year’s Kick Butts Day event is a result of collaboration between the Metro Public Health Department, the Youth Advisory Board, the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville Prevention Partnership, the Campaign for a Healthy and Responsible Tennessee (CHART) and the Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Coalition. 

For more information about the Kick Butts Day event at Spruce Street Missionary Baptist Church, contact Jason Stamm, Metro Public Health Department, Tobacco Control Coordinator; 340–0409; jason.stamm@nashville.gov.  For information on the national initiative, visit the KBD website at kickbuttsday.org.