4 Corners Partnership: Steele County Meetings and Activities

Youth and adults from Owatonna and Medford High

School participated in the Day at the Capitol.

We met with Representative Petersburg,

and with Senator Vicki Jensen.

We left reasons to "Raise it for Health"!

Tobacco Ads in Stores Influence Youth to Start Smoking

The tobacco "powerwall" behind the checkout counter at a store in Owatonna.

How common is tobacco advertising in stores in Steele County?

Our volunteers visited all of the stores in Steele County that are licensed to sell tobacco and are accessible to youth. They counted the tobacco ads inside and outside of each store. The results of our tobacco ad survey are included in the infograhpic below.

Why should we be concerned about tobacco advertising in stores?

A study by researchers at Stanford University concluded that exposure to cigarette advertising in retail stores is a major cause of teen smoking. The researchers found that youth who visit stores that have tobacco advertising on a regular basis are at least twice as likely to start smoking compared to youth who visit stores infrequently.

Steele County Students Participate in Day at the Capitol

Student group on the steps of the State Capitol.

Students from Owatonna and Blooming Prairie High Schools participated in the Raise it for Health Day at the Capitol on March 22, 2012.

We met with Representative Kory Kath, Senator Mike Parry, and Representative Patti Fritz. We asked them to:

Raise it for Health - Significantly increase the price of all tobacco products
Defend our Freedom to Breathe
Protect kids from “little cigars” and candy flavored tobacco products

See more photos on our Facebook page!

Staff from Steele County Public Health celebrate

the 4th Anniversary of the Freedom to Breath Act

at Torey’s Restaurant in Owatonna

Steele County says to Raise it for Health because...

Why be concerned about tobacco?

Tobacco causes 5,500 deaths each year in Minnesota.

For every person who dies from a smoking related illness, 20 more people suffer with at least one serious illness from smoking.

Smoking costs Minnesota nearly $2 billion in health care costs every year.

Even if you have never smoked or chewed, we all pay the price for tobacco. When everyone understands the harm tobacco causes, we will see significant change. Each of us can do our part to bring about a healthy tobacco-free future by becoming better informed about the issues and then sharing what we learn with the people we know, including our elected officials. It’s really that simple. Grassroots people like us really do have the power to bring about positive change.

We would like to keep you informed about our activities. Please click the Contact Us button to add your name to our newsletter list.

Thank you!

Jane Nyquist , Steele County Coordinator

Four Corners Partnership