TFC STORIES
Tobacco-Free Communities in Minnesota, working to reduce
tobacco’s harm
East African Smoke-Free Program protecting
over 900 more youth
December 2014
Secondhand smoke, an
unknown danger
Increased awareness of the dangers of
secondhand smoke is motivating East
African and Somali communities to
support smoke-free housing policies
that protect community members,
especially children, from the harms of
secondhand smoke.
WellShare International, a
Minneapolis-based nonprofit working
on this project since 2013, found that
many community members were
unaware of the of the dangers of
secondhand smoke. This despite many
refugees and community members
suffering worse health disparities, or
worse health outcomes compared to
other Minnesotans, related to second
hand smoke. In addition, many of
these community members live in low
income housing that includes
exposure to secondhand smoke.
So, WellShare’s East African SmokeFree Program staff started asking,
“How do we educate the community
about the risks of secondhand smoke
exposure?” and “How can we help
community members see the link
between their health and
living in a smoke-free
apartment complex?”
Community
involvement is key
Starting in February 2013,
WellShare International
began answering those
questions by developing
culturally and linguistically
appropriate program and
community outreach
materials, which have
garnered a lot of interest.
Youth supporting smoke-free policies. From left to right:
Mohamed, Liban, Mohamed, Ahmed, Kamil
WellShare paired the materials with
trainings and outreach activities. They
engaged community members in a
broad range of community gathering
places such as clinics, schools,
community centers, and markets.
Additionally, WellShare reached the
community through resident
education and through paid radio and
local television placements.
WellShare also worked with partner
organizations, such as the Association
for Nonsmokers – MN, and county and
city health workers to engage smokefree multi-unit housing policy
stakeholders, residents, and property
managers. WellShare leveraged
involvement from community
stakeholders to encourage advocates
to speak out about the risks of
smoking. This activity also mobilized
residents to stand up for their right to
live in smoke-free spaces.
WellShare knew it could not succeed
without support from property
owners. Staff identified properties
open to adopting and implementing
tobacco- and smoke-free policies.
WellShare engaged housing and
property managers by holding one-onone meetings to gauge their
willingness to adopt a policy, and to
WellShare International’s mission is advancing sustainable community health around the world. They are guided by a commitment to
sustainability, full community involvement, and the transfer of simple technologies and methods for educating and transforming
communities. To learn more, visit www.wellshareinternational.org.
Tobacco Free Communities in Minnesota (TFC) is a program of the Minnesota Department of Health, working to create healthier
communities by preventing and reducing tobacco use among youth and young adults, eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke, and
identifying and eliminating tobacco-related health disparities. To learn more, visit www.health.mn.gov/tfc.
provide further education on the
WellShare has already received
harms of secondhand smoke
positive feedback from community
members. “With the
exposure.
“Before the policy,
new policy, now we
Cleaning a smoked-in
smoke was very
can live in a healthier
bothersome… but now
unit can be costly.
apartment,” explained
I can breathe better.”
Property managers
Habiba, a community
may save time and
resident. “Before the
Habiba
money turning over
Community Resident
policy, smoke was very
units if they do not
bothersome… but now
need to address smoking-related
I can breathe better.”
burns, stains, and odor.
Over nine-hundred youth
protected
As a result of WellShare
Internationals’s efforts, an estimated
900 youth* will soon live in smoke-free
properties and away from the dangers
of secondhand smoke. As of December
2014, seven multi-unit housing
properties have gone smoke free, and
eleven workplaces and three
community-wide events have adopted
tobacco-free grounds policies.
*
A less-hazy future for
healthier living
Moving forward, they hope to provide
a larger array of translated materials,
as well as culturally appropriate and
individual cessation resources. They
also look forward to connecting with
youth and elders to discuss health
consequences of tobacco use,
specifically the use of hookah.
holistic approaches to health
education that include a broad scope
of health topics, such as active living
and nutrition. WellShare already has
several programs related to these
topics and hopes to build upon them
in the near future.
***
For more information about WellShare
International or the East African
Smoke-Free Program, visit
wellshareinternational.org, or contact
the following WellShare staff:
Bilal Alkatout
Program Manager
[email protected]
Abdillahi Ganey
Community Health Worker
[email protected]
Ultimately, WellShare International
would like to continue to adopt
Estimate calculated using an average of 2.5 youth per household
December 2014
East African and Smoke-free Program protecting over 900 youth
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