The Shelby County Health Department (SCHD), in collaboration with other local organizations, will encourage youth to take a stand against big tobacco companies and educate their peers about the importance of not smoking on Kick Butts Day, Wednesday, March 20.

Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism which empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against big tobacco companies. Health officials want to raise awareness of the tobacco problem, encourage youth to stay tobacco-free and urge strong action to protect kids from tobacco.

Representatives from the health department will be at the following locations on Wednesday, March 20, to distribute information and tips on smoking cessation:

• Benjamin Hooks Library
3030 Poplar Ave.
10 a.m. to noon

• University of Memphis-University Center
499 University
1 p.m.

Ole Miss officials banned all smoking on university property last August.

The smoke-free policy was phased in during the fall semester with warning-only citations.

The no-smoking policy follows years of campus officials limiting smoking to certain areas on campus.

When students return to campus this month, fines will be handed out if they're caught smoking on campus.

Here's a link with the exact policy from the University of Mississippi website.

There's also a map that shows all the smoke free universities across the country, click here to see it.

There's even a video from the student health center about how to quit, you can see it above. 

There is some good news in the fight against Childhood Obesity, several areas of the country are seeing a slight drop in the rates and Mississippi is one of the states on the list.

Researchers say the numbers are down 13.3 percent in the Magnolia State! It's not a huge decrease but it does mean that the state is on the right track!

New York City, Philadelphia, and the state of California also reported declines.

Analysts point to better access to fresh food, improved school nutrition, and more visible calorie information.

Researchers also credit parents for paying more attention to what their kids are eating.