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Reality Check Youth Work With Local Business Owner to Remove Tobacco Advertising

Arts Quad

Reality Check youth from Perry, along with the Perry School Social worker and Reality Check Coordinator pose with Perry Market Place owner, Steve Smyder, as he takes down the tobacco ads outside of his store.

Realty Check youth from Perry School worked with local business owner, Steve Smyder, from the Perry Market Place to remove the exterior tobacco advertising at his store. The Reality Check coordinator and youth requested a meeting with the owner of the store to discuss the store's tobacco advertising. Tobacco advertising in the retail environment is a problem because kids are more than twice as likely as adults to recall and be influenced by tobacco advertising and youth frequently go to convenience stores that also advertise and sell tobacco. 75% of teenagers shop in a convenience s store at least once per week. The youth at Perry School were also concerned about the issue because students that are walking or being bussed to school were being exposed to exterior advertising twice a day on their way to and from school. The Reality Check youth said that over 200 Perry students saw those ads twice a day and because of the youth's concern over the ads and Mr. Smyder's care for the community Perry residents and youth are now exposed to less of the tobacco industry influence that they previously were.

The Reality Check youth from Perry contacted Mr. Smyder to set up a meeting and prepared a presentation to share with him the problems with tobacco advertising and what he could do to help with the issues. After sharing their facts and presentation with him Mr. Smyder agreed that he didn't want to be exposing youth to tobacco advertising and agreed to remove all of the tobacco ads that hung outside his store! Later that week the ads were down! Be sure to stop by the Perry Market Place to thank them for taking down their exterior tobacco advertising and caring about the community!