Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation Policies

Tobacco-Free Sports and Recreation Policies
Key informants, hockey team players and administrators had mixed views on whether the TFSR
policy had prevented exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS). Two players discussed the SHS
issue in this way:
P1: I think it’s a success because if somebody did smoke like parents on the hockey
team then I’m sure they’d be safe to let the players know that we’re not going to
give it [SHS] to you.
P2: we’re going to walk away. I think it’s good but we also, because lots of people
who are like from away games and stuff they like know that it, they shouldn’t
smoke like right by us and they probably have their, enough respect to like smoke
somewhere else and nobody really smokes around us anymore. (Peewee Players)
While the players felt that SHS exposure had been reduced since they began playing on these
teams (the past three years), one PHU informant had a less optimistic perspective and reflected
that, the biggest impact was definitely at the player level not necessarily at the spectator level.
Respondents offered little insights into how the TFSR policy may have impacted tobacco litter, as
a couple of key informants explained that different arenas may or may not have litter (cigarette)
receptacles. In some cases, litter was less visible, and at other arenas, the cigarette butts were
scattered beside the main doors, usually at the entrance.
All respondents felt that a key objective of TFSR policy implementation is to promote positive role
modeling for youth. Efforts were made by both teams to achieve this goal when the policy was
adopted. For example, one player reported that the TFSR policy was circulated to hockey
families, and another player felt that, when the policy was shared with their families, a strong
role modeling effort was made by parents.
Finally, in this case study, the TFSR policy has encouraged tobacco users to quit. Several
respondents referred to a few parents who had chosen to quit smoking, in large part, as a result
of the team’s adoption of the policy.
Parents I think so because we had a set of parents that when we did start this[TFSR
policy] they were smokers and then as the kids were made more and more aware
of, like they kind of already knew but as you go into more detail they I think felt
that it was time to quit and then having them have to sit, stand way out in the cold-
[Laugh]-in their cars is, is and then the kids would be like stop smoking you know it
was and they, they did stop so-at least two parents stopped and this could be
linked to the policy. (Team Manager)
Ontario Tobacco Research Unit 22