Lake Co. teens argue for tobacco-free parks

Teenagers are making the rounds to area park district meetings to propose the idea of tobacco-free parks.

The teens, part of a group called REALITY Illinois, surveyed 553 Lake County residents about their attitude toward tobacco-free parks, beaches, pools, golf courses and other public areas. The majority of respondents favor the suggested smokeless areas, the survey found.

The group has presented its findings to Lake Zurich's parks and recreation officials and at a Vernon Hills park district board meeting. Emily Edkins, who participated in the Lake Zurich presentation, said the group is looking to present in more villages and to the Lake County Board.

In the survey, areas where younger children are most often present earned the strongest majorities. On the low end, 64 percent agreed or strongly agreed outdoor festivals should be tobacco-free; on the high end, 92 percent agreed or strongly agreed playgrounds should be tobacco-free.

"They were actually really persuaded and said they had not heard of the campaign we are doing before," said Edkins, 17, of Lake Zurich.

REALITY Illinois, a statewide anti-tobacco government program for teens, aims to disseminate information about the dangers of secondhand smoke and tobacco use to everyone in Illinois.

Cheryl Baron, communications manager for the Vernon Hills Park District, said the board was impressed with the research presented, but added it is unclear if the board will act on the issue in the future.

Lake County Health Department officials encouraged the teenagers to conduct a survey before taking their presentation to park districts, so they would have hard numbers to back up their ideas.

"They felt a little more validated that 'yeah, I'm speaking for the majority of people,'" said Kris Anderson, substance abuse prevention coordinator for the Lake County Health Department.

Although REALITY Illinois is anti-tobacco, Anderson said she has not heard any concerns about the objectivity of the survey.

"I think it was a very valid survey but I can understand (objectivity questions). We did not do it in the most scientific way," she said.

Nearly 80 percent of respondents are nonsmokers, which the group said is consistent with state and national smoking rates.