Jay, FL – Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), representing the Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County, were successful in advocating for a local tobacco free event. On October 17, Jay High School SWAT presented a letter to the Jay Chamber of Commerce requesting the community’s local “Trick or Treat in the Streets” be designated as tobacco free. Their request was approved by the Jay Chamber on October 18, and on Halloween Jay SWAT youth, accompanied by DOH-Santa Rosa Public Health Services Manager Matthew Dobson and Health Educator Consultant Kari Lewis, attended the event to promote the tobacco free message.

“It was a huge success for Jay SWAT and the Jay community.” said Dobson. “On behalf of our SWAT youth and the Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County, I want to sincerely thank the Chamber for recognizing the ill-effects of secondhand smoke and the hazards of smoking in general, by designating the event as tobacco free.”

The following are facts regarding secondhand smoke:

• Secondhand smoke exposure is causally linked to heart disease, stroke, several cancers, lower respiratory illness, and impaired lung function.i
• Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and their risk of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent.ii
• Secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack. A severe asthma attack can put a child’s life in danger.iii
• In the first two years of life, children exposed to secondhand smoke have more than a 50 percent increased risk of getting bronchitis and pneumonia.iv
• Infants exposed to secondhand smoke are at a greater risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).v SIDS is the sudden, unexplained, unexpected death of an infant in the first year of life. SIDS is the leading cause of death in otherwise healthy infants.vi

For more information about SWAT, visit the SWAT website at http://www.swatflorida.com/ or the DOH-Santa Rosa website at https://santarosa.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/wellness-programs/tobacco/swat/index.html

About the Florida Department of Health
The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

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i U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014. Printed with corrections, January 2014.
ii U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006
iii U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ―The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General.‖ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006
iv U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ―The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General.‖ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006
v Anderson, H.R. and D.G. Cook. 1997. Health Effects of Passive Smoking-2: Passive Smoking and Sudden Infant
vi American Academy of Pediatrics, Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The Changing Concept of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Diagnostic Coding Shifts; Controversies Regarding the Sleeping Environment; and New Variables to Consider in Reducing Risk. Pediatrics 2005;116(5):1245–55 [cited 2013 June 10].