How to provide a smoke-free environment

Not wasting time, the program immediately offered to help the Regional Housing Authority of Sutter and Nevada Counties implement HUD’s decision.

“Smokefree housing is a health equity issue,” wrote Tammy Anderson, Health Program Specialist for the Sutter County Public Health Department, in an email. “The meeting will provide education and support to residents as they transition to a smokefree environment. The meeting has been extended to the public to offer the same education to a broader audience.”

The program will discuss the benefits of a smoke-free environment and how residents could protect themselves and families from secondhand and thirdhand smoke/aerosal.

Free quit kits will be available which include information from the California Smokers Helpline, flyers for smoking cessation classes in the community, tips to quit smoking and a smoke-fee zone door hanger.

Information for property management regarding drafting and refining smokefree policy language, signage and outreach to staff and employess will be made available as well.

According to a Public Intercept Survey conducted by the program and administered to multi-unit housing residents of Sutter County between October 2014 to December 2015, 90 percent of respondents said secondhand smoke is harmful to people’s health, and 86 percent of respondents said rules should be in place to protect multi-unit housing residents from secondhand smoke.

The Sutter and Yuba Counties Behavioral Health department lists 30 lowincome/subsidized rental housing complexes on Network of Care’s website.

In her email response, Anderson provided information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the impact smoking has on public housing. An excerpt of the study stated, “low income people generally have higher smoking rates, which may result in increased exposure to secondhand smoke in affordable and public housing.” The study also stated vulnerable population groups such as children, the elderly and minorities could be adversely affected by secondhand smoke and lead to noticeable health issues later in life.

Although there is no study regarding how many residents in multi-unit housing smoke, a 2014 study conducted by the Sutter County Public Health department indicates higher rates of smokers and tobacco-related deaths in the county.

Smoking rates of adults were listed at 12.3 percent of the population, which is slightly higher than the state at 11.6 percent.

The average rate of death for coronary heart disease in Sutter County was 120.6 per 100,000 persons, compared to the state average of 96.6. The county also outpaced the state 42.6 to 31.7 in lung cancer and 48.8 to 37.7 in chronic lower respiratory disease.