If you have noticed stray boots in shops and offices around town, you’re not alone. Lone boots are popping up around Early County in an effort to bring awareness to a new anti-tobacco campaign spearheaded by the Early County Tobacco Coalition.

“Our boots are out and people are really noticing and commenting on them,” said Coalition facilitator Alida Ward of the “Early Boots Tobacco” campaign currently underway. Ward also serves as County Nurse manager for Early County Public Health Department.

Facilitated by the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition through funding from the Georgia Department of Public Health under the Georgia Tobacco Use Prevention Program, the campaign is designed to ultimately identify and eliminate tobacco related disparities in Early County, which have been shown to be disproportionately higher than the state and national averages. Early County ranks third in lung cancer mortality rates among the health district’s 14 counties. Early County’s death rate from lung cancer is 73.4 per 100,000.

The first step of the Tobacco Coalition will be to engage the general public in a community assessment to determine their tobacco awareness and use. Conducted by Mercer University School of Medicine, the assessment will involve telephone surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews.

According to Helen Dixson, RN, Education Coordinator with the Cancer Coalition, participants will be asked to answer questions about their beliefs, knowledge and behavior related to tobacco use. She stressed that the survey is confidential, and results will be submitted to the researchers without personal identification.

“Experienced surveyors will be calling people randomly in the community to answer these questions, so we want everyone to be aware that this is going on and that they may be called on to help,” Dixson said. “It’s important for us to gain information from all segments of the community, from smokers and non-smokers.”

Ward stressed how fortunate the citizens of Early County should feel to have these resources available. “This is a great opportunity for us to take a look at our current mindset as far as tobacco is concerned and to find out what we can do to improve our policies and planning in ways that will benefit our community,” she said.

The Early County Tobacco Coalition is currently made up of members of the local health, business, and government communities, as well as private citizens who have never used tobacco and those who are former tobacco users. The Coalition is open to anyone who would like to help with this effort, Ward said.

“The Coalition is still growing,” she said. “We would love more people to join us.”

Surveys are expected to get underway soon.

“If your telephone rings and it is someone from Mercer University wanting you to take part in the survey, we hope you will take a few minutes of your time to talk to them,” Ward added. “You’ve got an opportunity to play a big part in creating a healthier community, a healthier future, for all of us.”

For more information, contact Ward at 229-723-3707.