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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Nancy L. VanDevanter, DrPH1, Joyce Moon Howard, DrPH2, Cheryl Merzel, DrPH3, Mary E. Northridge, PhD, MPH4, Donald Gemson, MD5, Alicia Lukachko, MPH3, Courtney Bennet6, and Dawn Dickerson, MPH3. (1) Division of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10032, 212 305 1166, nlv1@columbia.edu, (2) Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health Division of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, 600 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, (3) Dept of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168 St., New York, NY 10032, (4) Editor-in-Chief, AJPH, Columbia University-Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W. 168th St.-9th Floor, Rm 937, New York, NY 10032, (5) Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 600 West 168th Street, New York, NY 11733, (6) NYC Department of Health, 125 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013
Background: In the US tobacco use is particularly high in communities of color and low income groups. Interventions to decrease tobacco use require community involvement and an understanding of the social, environmental, economic, political, and behavioral factors that impact on tobacco use. Health departments and the communities they serve need tools to assess infrastructure and capacity for tobacco control.
Methods: Building on previous work in Central Harlem, NYC, we convened a Community Action Board (CAB), raised awareness of the health effects of tobacco on the community by providing epidemiologic data, and through a continuous dialogue with the CAB over the period of a year, identified critical domains of assessment for tobacco control in this community.
Results: Four assessment domains were identified namely: 1. Infrastructure: programs, policies, and informational assets for tobacco control 2. Readiness: salience of the issue of tobacco to the community 3.Capacity: leaders, sense of community, network structures, systems, and sustainable partnerships for tobacco control. 4. Competence: ability to do problem solving, accommodate conflict, and to critically reflect; social support, decision making, self/other awareness.
Conclusions: A useful community assessment tool for tobacco control requires an approach to engaging the community and identification by community members of the components of infrastructure, capacity, competence and readiness. Assessment must be tailored to the unique characteristics of the community.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.