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The Smoke-Free Dining Campaign provides participating North Carolina counties a low-cost way of protecting its population from secondhand smoke while dining.
The Smoke-Free Dining Campaign is a cooperative effort between the local health department (or local coalition) and restaurants in each county. The local health department for the county develops a list of restaurants that provide smoke-free dining and posts the list on the web, promoting the website through paid and earned media.
A restaurant's participation is publicized to potential clientele through a Smoke-Free Dining logo, which should be displayed in a highly visible location of the restaurant. The logo will let citizens know if a restaurant is free of secondhand smoke and provide citizens who have concerns about the health effects of cigarette smoke a simple way to avoid secondhand smoke.
Participating restaurants also receive a sticker to place near their sanitation grade and receive the benefits of being listed on the smoke-free dining web resource that is being promoted throughout the county.
The resources below are templates and information to help local health departments participate in the Smoke-Free Dining Program.
- Instructions (PDF, 37 KB)
- Smoke-Free Dining billboard-cinema slide art (Word, 138 kb)
- Smoke-Free Dining Door Decal Order Information (Word, 158 kb)
- Smoke-Free Dining Presentation (PDF, 4.5 MB)
- Smoke-Free Dining Restaurant Certificate (Word, 297 kb)
- Smoke-Free Dining Restaurant Return postcard (MS Publisher, 41 kb)
- Smoke-Free Dining Postcard for General Use (Word, 64 kb)
- Smoke-Free Dining Restaurant Bill Sticker Order Form (Word, 180 kb)
- Smoke-Free Dining Letter for NEW restaurants prior to opening (Word, 28 kb)
- Smoke-Free Dining Letter for SF Restaurants (Word, 26 kb)
Note: You may need the free MS Word Viewer 2003 to view the Word files.
Kids Involuntarily Inhaling Secondhand Smoking (KIISS) has an informative and useful video on smoke-free restaurants and bars - view the video on the KIISS web site.
Some North Carolina Health Departments have chosen to develop their own door decals. Here are some samples.
Tobacco smoke is known to cause health problems in non-smokers, such as heart disease, heart attack, lung disease and lung cancer. The Surgeon General’s Report released in 2006 warns that there is no known safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Those with known heart disease or risk factors for heart disease are especially vulnerable, as short-term exposures to secondhand smoke could trigger a heart attack. Infants and young children also increase their risk of developing asthma, upper respiratory infections and ear infections with exposure to secondhand smoke.
Studies show that North Carolinians support smoke-free dining. A 2006 poll by Elon University showed that 84.3% of N.C. adults either agreed or strongly agreed that people eating in a restaurant should be free from secondhand smoke. 76.8% of those polled said that smoke-free status would make them more likely to visit a restaurant or would not impact their decision on where to eat.
The Smoke-Free Dining Campaign was originally developed and implemented by Deborah Dolan, a former consultant for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch, and the Wake County Project ASSIST Coalition. Ann Staples, CHES Director of Public Education and Communication for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch, is available to answer questions about the program. Ann can be reached at 704-543-2347 or via email. |
