Hung-yi Lu and Brenikki Renel Floyd. Department of Communication, University of Kentucky, 227 Grehan Building, Lexington, KY 40506, (859) 2573621, hlu2@uky.edu

Federal health statistics show that Kentucky has the highest percentage (40%) of smokers in the U.S. Thus, it has the highest lung and bronchial cancer rate, and second-highest rate of deaths attributed to smoking (Jubera, 11/27/2003). Annually, Kentucky government Medicaid payments directly related to tobacco use is $200 million (Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center, 1999). Undoubtedly, preventing smoking should be a public health priority in Kentucky. This paper accordingly aims at investigating the causes of smoking in Kentucky. It finds that the prevalence of smoking in Kentucky is not only related to individual personal traits, but also related to social, cultural, economic, environmental, and policy-related factors. Therefore, the expectation of persuading smokers in Kentucky to quit smoking only based on individual-level theory is as remote as jumping over the moon. Based on this finding, this paper proposes an integrated public health promotion program suggesting that the government of Kentucky not only needs to discuss solutions of smoking in Kentucky based on the behavior ecological model (BEM ) approach, but also has to add some ideas derived from theories of community coalitions and community natural helpers, which may help its public health practitioners to effectively diminishing the problem of smoking. Most importantly, only when Kentuckians experience participation and develop a critical understanding of the importance of smoking cessation will they engage in healthy behavior. In the long run, it is a community of the Kentuckian, public health practitioners are merely sojourners, crossing borders.

Learning Objectives:

• By way of attending this session, participants will know more about the causes and behavior of smoking in Kentucky. Since this paper is to propose an integrated program for public health practitioners to help people in kentucky prevent or quit smoking, participants will be armed with more practical experience and theory-based knowledge about smoking prevention and cessation based on the findings and suggestions of this study.

Keywords: Smoking, Health Promotion

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.