No smoking sign in park

Tobacco Prevention and Control

Reducing deaths and health problems due to tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke or e-cigarette aerosols.

Mecklenburg County's Tobacco Prevention and Control team promotes culturally appropriate and best practice strategies to reduce deaths and health problems due to tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke or e-cigarette aerosols. All residents in our community deserve a healthy home, workplace and community where tobacco use is no longer the social norm.

    Tobacco Prevention Programs

    Technical Assistance Available to Community Partners

    The following is a list of technical assistance for Community Partners to build capacity for addressing tobacco prevention and cessation, including how organizations can implement a Tobacco-Free Policy, among other best practices.

    For more information about technical assistance please contact [email protected] or call 704-614-7805 .

    Health Disparities* Related to Tobacco Use and Advancing Health Equity

    A commitment to health equity involves understanding health disparities related to tobacco and factors that cause these disparities. Several factors connect tobacco with higher levels of disease, disability, and death in different population groups. For example:

    • The tobacco industry uses tailored marketing and advertising to target some groups and communities.
    • Tobacco companies use flavors to entice specific groups to try their harmful products.
    • The pressures of discrimination, poverty, and other social conditions can increase commercial tobacco use and make health problems worse.
    • Population groups need more protections from exposure to secondhand smoke.
    • Some groups encounter barriers to health care and treatment for tobacco use and dependence.

    FromThe Centers for Disease Control, Smoking and Tobacco Use

    * Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health experienced by socially disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and other population groups, and communities.                                                      

    Populations that warrant special attention for advancing health equity, due to tobacco use and industry targeting, include:

    To learn more about how to talk about tobacco impacts from a health equity perspective, visit Framing Tobacco Disparities  and Smoking and Tobacco Use, CDC.

    Resources for Partners

    Contact Us

    Email: [email protected]

    Telephone: 704-614-7805