News and Events
Celebrating Through with Chew Week at the Arcadia Housing Authority
February 9, 2018
In our efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of smokeless tobacco, and bring attention to Through With Chew Week and the Great American Spit Out, QuitDoc Foundation and the Tobacco Free Partnership of Desoto County attended an event at the Arcadia Housing Authority on February 9, 2018.
Pictured L to R: Community SWAT Advisor Melissa Mendoza
and Tobacco Free Partnership Member Xenia Rosado-Merced
Partnership Members spoke with attendees and provided them with tobacco statistics within Desoto County. Several talking points were mentioned, including but not limited to the fact that “according to the 2016 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, 6.2% of youth in DeSoto County, between the ages of 11 and 17, currently use smokeless tobacco”. This is a 4% increase compared to the state average, which sits at 2.2%. While this is quite a bit above the state average, we have seen progress in our local statistics over the past few years. Since 2012, our county average of youth who use tobacco products (including cigarettes, cigars, or smokeless) has decreased 4.8%. One of our main concerns in DeSoto County is the 41.8% of youth who reported being exposed to second hand smoke.
We had numerous attendees stop by and express a want to quit tobacco. TFP Members gave these individuals information on the Quit Your Way program and encouraged them to pursue the quit. The TFP and SWAT Youth are working hard to recruit new members, work with local government to implement policy change, and present tobacco education and prevention to our community.
If you are looking to get more involved with the TFP in DeSoto County, visit www.TFP-DeSoto.org or email info@TFP-DeSoto.org.
