Gold Medal is an annual showcase of athletics, fitness and a healthy lifestyle.
Conveniently, “Kick Butts Day” falls right in the middle of it.
“Kick Butts Day,” an annual nationwide celebration on March 21, promotes youth activism against tobacco use, and is sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
Juneau uses the annual Juneau Lions Club Gold Medal Tournament as the location to spread the word and share information about tobacco use with a table filled with information and activities to learn more.
Kristin Cox, Program Manager at Juneau’s Tobacco Prevention and Control, said one of the main reasons this event is so important for not only kids, but adults alike is the tobacco-usage by Alaska Natives.
“We use the catchphrase ‘Not our tradition, not our culture,’” Cox said. “Unlike Native Americans, tobacco was not a cultural staple to Alaska Natives and now they have the highest rate of tobacco use in Alaska.”
According to the Department of Health and Social Services’ 2017 tobacco report, 37 percent of Alaska Natives smoke compared to 17 percent overall among adults. In Southeast Alaska, that number stands at 21 percent compared to 19 percent. In terms of young people, Alaska Native high school students who smoke more than double those of non-Native students by a 20 to 7 percent ratio.
Overall, according to tobaccofreekids.org, Alaskan teens (11 percent/4,200 people) smoke more than the national average of 8 percent. In 1995 nearly 37 percent of high school students smoked. That report also stated 300 people under the age of 18 become new daily smokers each year. Another problem and part of the focus of this year’s campaign is smokeless tobacco products and e-cigarettes. Alaskan teens use e-cigarettes at a higher rate (18 percent) than the national average (11 percent).
Clara Don, 14, an 8th-grader at Montesorri Borealis, helped set up Wednesday’s displays, including a tobacco-free themed “Jeopardy” game. Don said because of the amount of traffic through Gold Medal each year, there is more of an opportunity to pass along information.
“I think this is important because some people may not have the specific information about tobacco products and what they can do to you,” she said. “I think a lot of people that come through want to be healthy and want to be using products that are not bad for you.”
That is why “Kick Butts Day” is key to getting the word out to kids. While tobacco use among young people has seen a decline, it is not the number anti-tobacco programs want to see.
“The message we are trying to get out there is making this generation (of kids) the first tobacco-free generation,” Cox said.
• Contact reporter Gregory Philson at gphilson@juneauempire.com or call at 523-2265. Follow him on Twitter at @GTPhilson.
