The Town of Niskayuna has been taking great measures to turn itself into a healthier community. Officials have made it more pedestrian-friendly over the past year by promoting safe walking, hiking and biking routes, and the town has been working hard to establish itself as an environment free of tobacco promotion.
On Wednesday, March 25, those efforts were recognized, and the town was given the first Community Tobacco-Free Champion Award.
Schenectady County Reality Check is grateful for the continued support from the Town of Niskayuna on its smoke-free initiatives. They are a leader not only by protecting their youth, but all residents, from the harmful impact of ‘Big Tobacco,’ said Carrie Claypool, program coordinator for Reality Check of Schenectady County.
`From supporting the local restriction of tobacco use in parks, to reducing, rearranging or eliminating tobacco advertising at the point of purchase, the Town of Niskayuna has been Reality Check’s strongest ally,` said Claypool.
The award was given by the Capital District Tobacco-Free Coalition, Reality Check Youth Action, the Tobacco-Free Healthy Schools Program and the Center for Smoking Cessation at Seton Health, all grant-funded programs from the New York State Bureau of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control.
`This is a local initiative that has the potential to impact all youth across the globe,` said Claypool.
Jeanie Orr, a Niskayuna resident and project coordinator for the Capital District Tobacco-Free Coalition, said she is proud of the work the town has done.
`The town has taken action to decrease the influence of tobacco advertising and promotion in the community and did not shy away from being the first in the area to adopt a tobacco-free policy for all of its parks,` said Orr.
`Already, we have experienced the ripple effect with the Village of Scotia, the Town of Rotterdam and the Village of Voorheesville passing similar resolutions to adopt tobacco-free policies for their parks and playgrounds Personally, I’m very proud to be a Niskayuna resident,` said Orr.
Judy Rightmyer, director of the Capital District Tobacco-Free Coalition, said that children and teens are especially vulnerable to tobacco advertising and promotion and that there are now numerous studies proving that tobacco advertising and promotion increase tobacco use among adolescents.
`The Town of Niskayuna recognizes that some changes can’t be legislated, but they’ve been willing to take a stand and encourage changes in the community that will promote health,` said Rightmyer in a written statement in relation to the town board’s endorsement of the elimination of smoking in movies rated G, PG and PG-13.
According to Dr. Jeff Willett, director of the Tobacco Control Program for the New York State Department of Health, since 1997 the rate of smoking among New York high school students has decreased by 58 percent.
While the national smoking rate among high school students is leveling off, smoking among state high school students has continued to decline to 13.8 percent compared to the 20 percent national figure.
`Niskayuna’s comprehensive approach to promoting tobacco-free living began with the passage of the Capital Region’s most expansive smoke-free parks law in June 2008,` said Town of Niskayuna Supervisor Joe Landry. `Our smoke-free parks law encourages a healthy lifestyle for our residents, especially our children. Our parks are designed for healthy activities such as walking, running, bicycling, or participating in sporting events, and they should be tobacco-free. As legislators we need to set the right example for our children today so that we can prevent a new generation of smokers tomorrow.“