The Southern Tier Tobacco Awareness Coalition (STTAC) envisions all New Yorkers living in a tobacco-free society. Our mission is to reduce morbidity and mortality and the social and economic burden caused by tobacco use. Evidence based tobacco control programs and policy interventions can reduce this burden. STTAC uses an evidence-based, policy-driven and cost-effective approach to decrease tobacco initiation by youth, motivate adult smokers to quit and eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:
Advance tobacco-free norms, through promising/emerging tobacco control initiatives.
Reduce the impact of retail tobacco marketing on youth and adults, especially those disparately-affected populations.
Increase opportunities for tobacco-free outdoor areas.
Reduce secondhand smoke exposure in multi-unit housing.
Reduce tobacco imagery in youth-rated movies.
STTAC’s Reality Check youth program regularly engages middle and high school aged youth from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds to work to change community norms regarding tobacco use through activities aimed at deglamorizing and denormalizing tobacco use in their communities. Through civic engagement, youth program initiatives include community education linked to social action, media advocacy, media and community events, and advocacy with organizational decision makers to advance tobacco-free norms through policy change.
Click here to learn more about the Reality Check program!