Southland Smokebusters attend tobacco-free conference

Members of Southland's Smokebuster group recently attended a conference at Westminster focused on anti-tobacco advocacy. From left, sponsor, Jennifer Davis, Madison Kellums, Hailey Rundel, ShaeLyn Hulett, and Brady Higgins. Not pictured, Kelton Wilson.(Photo provided)

According to the school's sponsor for the Smokebuster's group, Jennifer Davis, the club consists of approximately 14 students in total, but the five students attending the conference were selected based on an application process. The students, Brady Higgins, ShaeLyn Hulett, Madison Kellums, Hailey Rundel, and Kelton Wilson joined other students attending from Missouri school district's in developing group goals and action plans to take back to their individual districts and communities. These action plans, according to Davis, included steps such as writing letters to newspaper editors and state legislators promoting tobacco-free schools and communities, as well as creating public service announcements for local radio stations.

Davis said the students also developed ideas to support their goals that included meeting with school administration and city council members from their community to encourage them to support anti-tobacco measures, such as promoting completely smoke-free environments at local parks and at school ball fields.

Throughout Southland's academic year, all students in the school's Smokebusters Club participate in advocacy activities on campus and in the community. Some of these events include open forum discussions, primarily in lower elementary classrooms, where the high schoolers talk with younger youth about the health risks and other dangers associated with smoking and chewing tobacco. The group of advocates encourage elementary and middle school students to refrain from tobacco-use and share informational materials to further instill their message with the youth. Davis said the Smokebusters students also host community activities, such as setting up informational booths at the area's annual Fall Festival, in addition to getting out into the community and speaking with parents and other adults about tobacco, encouraging them as well to consider going smoke-free and promoting that message in their homes and workplaces.

At the two-day conference, Southland student ShaeLyn Hulett was also selected to be a presenter. Hulett's presentation concerned changing school policy to reflect tobacco-free campus standards and encourage anti-tobacco advocacy.

"Ballparks were a major focus in creating a unified tobacco-free community. Comprehensive Tobacco-free standard. Include entire campus and district grounds," Davis said.

In her student presentation, Hulett explained, "Tobacco affects my family -- if we go to a park, we have to swing in smoke."

According to a written release sent out following the seminar, part of the action plan developed for the Westminster event, "involved encouraging local business owners to make their establishments smoke-free bringing the campus focus into the community, also to contact legislators regarding their support and appreciation, in addition to making possible funding for such programs."

Davis said the ultimate goal of the conference was to develop action plans using the knowledge and tools shared through the seminar in the local community and school district.

After engaging in peer education and team-building activities, students also heard from Victor DeNoble, a former Phillip Morris employee who is now a nationally recognized whistle-blower on the tobacco industry. Dr. DeNoble spoke to the students about the harmful effects of nicotine addiction.

"We need to treat nicotine addiction the way we treat any other addiction," he said.

DeNoble also discussed the importance of reaching young audiences with a tobacco-free message. "Eighty percent of all drug addicts become addicted before the age of 21... If you can get just one kid to not use tobacco, you're not only affecting that kid's life, you're affecting the lives of dozens, and dozens, and dozens of other people."

Davis said around 60 students attended the conference. Each of these students will be expected to share what they have learned with their communities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the students' efforts are timely and important being that almost 20 percent of all deaths in the United States are caused by tobacco. In Dunklin County specifically, around 40 percent of adults smoke, according to the 2011 Missouri County Health Rankings prepared by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin. Advocates believe that a continued dialogue on the harms of tobacco, as well as strategies for prevention and control, may help reduce these statistics.

Organizations like CASE (Campus-Community Alliances for Smoke-free Environments) and the student-led organization Show-Me PALS (People Advocating Living Smoke-Free), who put on this event, are working to create a tobacco-free Missouri by countering the marketing of harmful tobacco products by tobacco companies. The leaders of these Missouri organizations hope these types of conferences will inspire educational programs, policy changes, and other initiatives to improve public health in Dunklin County and around the state.

"It's exciting to see students from across the state getting so fired up about this important issue. They come out each year, volunteering their time and effort to trying to improve the health of all Missourians," said Joyce Lara, School Coordinator for Smokebusters, one of the co-sponsors of the SWAG (Students with a Goal) event. "Students like these are a vital piece when it comes to policy change, especially when dealing with an issue like tobacco. Many times they can get things done when others cannot."

The seminar was supported by the Missouri Foundation for Health (MFFH) and the University of Missouri.