Historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, are quitting smoking to prevent “young adults from starting tobacco use.” New policies aim to ease health burden among young blacks.
“Of the 102 federally recognized HBCUs in the country, less than half have smoke-free and/or tobacco-free campus policies. Of the 1,108 community colleges in the U.S., only 360 have 100 percent smoke-free policies in place,” the Director of Media Relations for Truth Initiative Sarah Shank told HBCU Buzz in an email.
Truth Initiative, the nonprofit organization behind the truth youth smoking prevention campaign, is working to put an end to this type of profiling.
“Where you live, who you love, your race, your mental health and financial status play an important role in how hard tobacco companies come after you,” Shank said. “For decades, African Americans, low-income neighborhoods, LGBTQ communities and those with mental illness have been disproportionally targeted with advertising and promotional efforts. African Americans in particular, have long been targeted with intense advertising and promotional efforts by the industry. For example, in major cities like Washington D.C., there are up to ten times more tobacco advertisements in African American neighborhoods than in other neighborhoods.”
The organization launched their tobacco-free college program in 2015 as well as awarded funding to 135 colleges.
According to the organization, to date, 50 colleges have gone smoke- or tobacco-free (40 community colleges and 10 HBCU’s). CVS is also joining us in helping more than 100 schools go tobacco free in the next 2 years.
Howard University student Julia Osagie is helping to take a stand, joining the organization to change the status quo.
Osagie is spearheading an effort at Howard to help the school go tobacco-free.
She and other students are working on the issue.
“There is a disproportionate health burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality among African Americans,” Shank said. “Each year, approximately 47,000 African Americans die from smoking-related disease. Research has also shown a clear pattern of targeted marketing in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods.”
“People living below the poverty level in the U.S. are nearly twice as likely to smoke, compared to those at or above the poverty level.”
