BW students, alumni and faculty work to reduce nicotine use in Ohio

The long-term, collaborative project involved a range of tactics from secret shoppers to support for new legal restrictions.

With the support of Baldwin Wallace University's students and faculty in Allied Health, Sport & Wellness, a collaborative project is helping to prevent youth tobacco addiction in Ohio.

The Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation (PTAF) worked with BW and The Ohio State University College of Public Health on the project that culminated in a ceremonial check presentation to the Cleveland Department of Public Health.

During the check presentation, BW professor Wendy Hyde noted, "This award represents more than funding — it symbolizes our shared commitment to advancing tobacco control, protecting youth from nicotine addiction, and promoting healthier communities."

Prevention and advocacy in action

BW Student Experiences

Leveraging grant funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, PTAF, BW and OSU worked together to:

• Conduct 6,000 "secret shopper buys" across Ohio to determine how tobacco products are sold at the retail level,
• Employ and train BW students and alumni in tobacco prevention research and advocacy work,
• Support local policy adoption, including Cleveland's new Tobacco Retail License program, and 
• Direct $50,000 to the Cleveland Department of Public Health for implementation of the program through retailer education, stakeholder engagement, enforcement planning and data collection.

As part of the project, six BW students worked in paid internships, conducting a strategic political assessment and creating a plan to support the passage of local measures to better control tobacco and nicotine sales to youth.

In April, the City of Cleveland passed several important city health ordinances, including a new tobacco retail license program, which prevents the sale or distribution of tobacco products (including e-cigarettes) to anyone under 21 and requires age verification.

Creating lasting change

According to an article by Axios, 35% of adults in Cleveland smoke cigarettes — more than triple the national average and more than double Ohio's rate of 15%.

"This funding strengthens Cleveland's commitment to reducing youth nicotine addiction and ensuring healthier futures for our residents," said Dr. David Margolius, director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health. "Partnerships like these bring research, advocacy and policy together to create real, lasting change."

Since 1996, the Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation has sought to reduce the toll of smoking and nicotine use by focusing on prevention, education, advocacy and policy change.