Reynolds Jennifer H, Hobart Robin L, Ayala Patricia, Eischen Monica H
Office on Smoking and Health, CDC, Amherst, Mass., USA.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2005 Jan;2(1):A22. Epub 2004 Dec 15.
Exposure to secondhand smoke is an important preventable cause of illness and death. A Smoke-Free Paso del Norte Coalition in El Paso, Texas, led a drive to introduce an ordinance to protect nonsmoking persons from the health effects of secondhand smoke in public places. The ordinance was introduced in April 2001 and was passed on June 26, 2001.
El Paso is the fifth largest city in Texas and the largest border city in the United States. It is the 10th poorest city in the United States; 37% of its residents do not have health insurance. Seventy-eight percent of El Paso's residents are Hispanic/Latino. A large percentage of El Paso's restaurant and bar workers are recent immigrants from Mexico.
Campaign activities included a letter-writing campaign to the El Paso Times, petition gathering, community outreach education, meetings with city council members, print and television advertising, a proactive media advocacy campaign, and a youth rally.
One month after the ordinance went into effect, an opinion poll found solid support for the new ordinance. Another survey conducted in December 2002 also found a 22% decline in adult smoking, from 22.1% in 1996 to 17.3% at the time of the survey.
The El Paso campaign is an example of a successful grassroots campaign. El Paso's campaign relied on direct organizing to identify, recruit, and mobilize supporters, and involved relatively little paid media or paid advocacy efforts. These lessons are transferable to other communities, and the El Paso coalition serves as a model for developing a diverse, representative coalition in a predominantly Mexican American community.
接触二手烟是疾病和死亡的一个重要可预防原因。德克萨斯州埃尔帕索的无烟北帕索联盟发起了一项行动，以引入一项条例，保护不吸烟的人免受公共场所二手烟对健康的影响。该条例于2001年4月提出，并于2001年6月26日通过。
埃尔帕索是德克萨斯州第五大城市，也是美国最大的边境城市。它是美国第十大贫困城市；37%的居民没有医疗保险。埃尔帕索78%的居民是西班牙裔/拉丁裔。埃尔帕索很大一部分餐厅和酒吧工作人员是最近从墨西哥来的移民。
宣传活动包括给《埃尔帕索时报》写信、征集请愿书、社区外展教育、与市议会成员会面、平面和电视广告、积极的媒体宣传活动以及青年集会。
该条例生效一个月后，一项民意调查发现对新条例的坚定支持。2002年12月进行的另一项调查还发现，成年人吸烟率下降了22%，从1996年的22.1%降至调查时的17.3%。
埃尔帕索的宣传活动是一次成功的基层宣传活动的典范。埃尔帕索的宣传活动依靠直接组织来识别、招募和动员支持者，并且涉及的付费媒体或付费宣传努力相对较少。这些经验教训可应用于其他社区，埃尔帕索联盟是在以墨西哥裔美国人为主的社区建立一个多元化、有代表性联盟的典范。
