Learning Objectives: Participants should be able to discuss issues related to capacity for tobacco prevention and control in Native American communities.
Abstract: Most efforts to reduce and prevent tobacco use have been focused, developed and applied to predominantly white and non-Native American communities. Little information is known about the feasibility and replication of best practices for tobacco control in Native American communities. Tobacco control infrastructures are different in tribal and Native American communities, and more complex due to the historical and cultural role of tobacco. This project is designed to evaluate and enhance the capacity of Native American communities to engage in tobacco prevention and control efforts by assessing the extent to which communities have the infrastructure, ability, and desire to plan and collaborate for commercial tobacco use prevention and control activities. An Advisory Council, comprised of community members and state and local tobacco control representatives, guides the planning and implementation of this project. In doing so, the Advisory Council first developed a set of principles for working with Native American communities. Secondly, Advisory Council members identified and ranked the dimensions of capacity they felt were important for tobacco control in Native American communities. Contrary to what has been reported in non-Native communities, the dimensions related to community, such as community values, community history and citizen participation received the highest ranks; while leadership, skills and resources received lower ranks. This presentation will further describe the methods and results of developing a model for assessing tobacco control in Native American communities and efforts designed to enhance capacity for tobacco abuse prevention and reduction.
Back to Capacity Building Across Diverse Communities
Back to Increasing Diversity/Eliminating Disparities
Back to The 2002 National Conference on Tobacco or Health