Posted by Sudbury Northern Life Reporter Bill Bradley 
Youth peer leaders cautioned other youth to protect their health by not taking up the smoking habit at Adanac Ski Hill on Saturday.
Alexis Nizzero, Maude Sheppard, Zohra Charaniya and Noureen Fazili, of a peer group called kNOw, an initiative of the Sudbury Urban Action Youth Action Alliance (YAA), cautioned youth to be wary of the promotional messages by the tobacco industry.
KNOw is led by the Sudbury and District Health Unit and funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health's smoke-free program.
"Right now about 15 per cent of youth have started to smoke," said Charaniya.
"We encourage them not to smoke by telling them about the dangers of tobacco and use and how the industry targets youth."
One of the ways the tobacco industry targets youth is by associating sports and recreation with tobacco products, said Charaniya.
"Other ways are through movies and flavored tobacco," said Charaniya.
According to the Ontario Tobacco Research unit, tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke accounts for 13,000 deaths in Ontario each year, said a release by the group.
The first 100 youth to visit the booth were entered in a draw for the grand prize of a snowboard and helmet sponsored by Pinnacle Sports and the Sudbury Heart Health Coalition.
"I'm so excited to have this event at Adanac, because I love to ski. Combining education about tobacco with something fun like skiing and snowboarding is a perfect way to get youth involved," said Sheppard.
For more information, contact Kelly Sinclair, youth advisor, environmental health division, Sudbury and District Health Unit at 677-9607 or visit www.sdhu.com .
