Princess Health andBurgin, in heart of Kentucky, is state's 40th school district to go tobacco-free; ban, won by students, applies to vapor products.Princessiccia

Princess Health andBurgin, in heart of Kentucky, is state's 40th school district to go tobacco-free; ban, won by students, applies to vapor products.Princessiccia

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Gusty 07:20 Add Comment

Burgin Independent Schools, in the heart of Kentucky, will be the latest 100 percent tobacco-free schools in the state, and the first in Mercer County, which has a strong tobacco heritage.

The Burgin Board of Education voted April 8 to ban all tobacco use, including vapor products, on school grounds and during school-related student trips, Robert Moore reports for The Harrodsburg Herald. The policy becomes effective July 1 and includes any building or vehicle owned or operated by the board and applies to any renters of school property.

Burgin will be the 40th Kentucky school district to become fully tobacco-free. Kentucky has 173 public- school districts, with 1,233 public schools, according to the state Department of Education.

The Kentucky 100 percent Tobacco-Free Schools website says, "Studies show that schools with 100 percent tobacco-free school policies for three years of more have 40 percent fewer smokers than those in non-tobacco free school districts." The 2013 Kentucky Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 18 percent of Kentucky youth smoke, and 47 percent of them have smoked at least once.

"I�m really proud we�re going to be a tobacco free campus," board member Priscilla Harris told the Herald after the meeting. "We want to set a good example." The independently owned weekly newspaper recently did a three-part series on tobacco in the county, including Burgin students' efforts to get tobacco banned.

Kentucky 100 percent Tobacco Free Schools map, with Burgin added

Princess Health and Princess Health andPoll: most Kentuckians support tobacco-free campuses, school nutrition standards and student physical activity requirements.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Princess Health andPoll: most Kentuckians support tobacco-free campuses, school nutrition standards and student physical activity requirements.Princessiccia

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Gusty 10:47 Add Comment

Kentuckians overwhelmingly support several school policies than can influence student health but are not all embraced by Kentucky schools, according to the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll, taken in October and November.

The poll showed that 84 percent of Kentuckians�and 72 percent of smokers�support tobacco-free campus policies, which have been adopted by only about a third of Kentucky school districts. The survey also found that 72 percent strongly favor the tobacco-free policies, while 12 percent said they favored it somewhat.

The survey found that 57 percent of Kentucky adults strongly supported, and 21 percent somewhat supported, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's new standards for school nutrition, which reduced salt and saturated fat, increased offerings of whole-grain foods, fruit and vegetables, and put stricter controls on calories and portion size.

Because the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that young people exercise for 60 minutes per day, KHIP's survey asked Kentucky adults if they think Kentucky schools should offer 30 minutes of physical activity per day for students. It found that 88 percent strongly agreed and 9 percent somewhat agreed with the policy. Physical activity is an important topic for Kentucky because 18 percent of Kentucky children are obese, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Democrats were more likely to be supportive of tobacco-free campuses and the new school menus, but there was no partisan difference on physical activity. "Poll findings show that support for the health of our children cuts across party lines," said Susan Zepeda, President/CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which sponsors the poll with Interact for Health of Cincinnati. It is conducted by researchers at the University of Cincinnati.

Princess Health and UK quickens drumbeat of tobacco-free policy through report line.Princessiccia

Princess Health and UK quickens drumbeat of tobacco-free policy through report line.Princessiccia

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Gusty 14:54 Add Comment

The University of Kentucky promotes compliance and enforcement of its tobacco-free policy through a community report line, among many other measures.  Although the report line was established last spring, its mention in recent campus communications suggests a hightened emphasis on compliance measures. 

The line to report violations of the smoking ban engages the community in developing an environment in which compliance is expected, said Dr. Ellen Hahn, a nursing professor and co-chair of UK's Tobacco-free Taskforce and director of its Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy.

"Since these policies are self-enforcing, we need a mechanism by which everyone on campus can easily report violations," Hahn said. "Most people do not feel comfortable approaching a violator, so this is a way to encourage everyone to be involved in promoting compliance." She said the report line was a suggested "best practice" from other campuses with similar policies.

Implementation of the policy, the ultimate goal of the policy is to promote a healthy place to live, work and learn, has been a success, Hahn said: The air is healthier, and exposure to secondhand smoke has decreased. Also, since the policy was established in the fall of 2009, there has been a four-fold increase in the use of nicotine replacement to quit using tobacco, and UK has many low- or no-cost options to help students and employees do so.

Click here to report a violation of the tobacco-free policy, here for a tobacco-free brochure.