Learning Objectives: Describe at least 3 strategies for using evaluation and surveillance data to promote revisions to local tobacco programs.
Abstract: Health department staff, community leaders and researchers interested in improving the quality of tobacco control programs through a data driven program development cycle.
Comprehensive tobacco control programs are dynamic - they evolve based on changing norms, policies and conditions within communities. These changes are being monitored through a variety of program evaluation and surveillance instruments at state, national and local levels. Community leaders working collaboratively with health departments and researchers, are being urged to promote effective linkages between evaluation findings and local program revisions through a continuous program improvement cycle. The body of research documenting academic/community partnerships frequently falls short of providing the “how tos” of using data to drive program revisions.
A case study examines how unexpected findings from the Youth Tobacco Survey created a sense of urgency and collaborative planning. Successes, strategies and difficulties encountered in moving the data into practice are described from the perspectives of a researcher, state health department staff and local community leader.
This workshop involves collaborative learning – one that encourages participants to engage in a participatory action research approach to problem solving. Participants will expand on and contrast the case study with current strategies used to link research findings with program development in their communities.
Participants will receive “how tos” - strategies and tools - for implementing data driven population-based tobacco control programs. The session models and illustrates the realities as well as the strengths that come from multiple perspectives on community problem solving and the process of creating data driven tobacco control programs.
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