The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44152

Myra A. Crawford, PhD, MFA¹, Lesa L. Woodby, PhD, MPH², Richard A. Windsor, PhD³, J. Michael Hardin, PhD⁴, Thomas Miller, MD⁵, Jim McVay, DrPA⁵, Debra McCallum, PhD⁶, and Alan Blum, MD⁷. (1) Division of Research, Dept of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 930 South 20th Street, Room 371, Birmingham, AL 35205, 205/934-9376, mcrawf@fms.uab.edu, (2) Family and Community Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 930 20th Street South, 371 CH20, Birmingham, AL 35294-2042, (3) School of Public Health and Health Services, George Washington University, 2175 K Street NW #810, Washington, DC 20037, (4) Department of Information Systems, The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, 300 Alston Hall, Box 870226, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, (5) Bureau of Family Health Services, Alabama Department of Public Health, PO Box 303017, RSA Towers 13th Floor, Montgomery, AL 36130, (6) Social Science Research, The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Box 870216, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0219, (7) Department of Family Medicine, The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, 700 University Boulevard E, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Alabama Tobacco Free Families is a community-based program of media and policy change designed to reduce tobacco use among women of childbearing age (14-44) in eight counties, which provide service to a 20% randomized sample of women receiving Medicaid-sponsored maternity care in the state. Baseline data from a clinic survey of the women presenting as new maternity cases in the 12 public health clinics in the target counties revealed a cotinine-confirmed smoking prevalence rate of 29%. The disparity between the rates of tobacco use of the indigent white women (49%) and the African-American women (17%) is dramatic. Baseline data from a community telephone survey taken at a parallel time among the general population of women of childbearing age in the same counties revealed a self-reported smoking prevalence rate of 24%, with the rate of white women about three times as high as that of African-American women. Similar data following the first media campaign are being analyzed. The comprehensive media program supports tobacco-free lives for these women by raising awareness about the risks of smoking, especially during pregnancy, and the dangers of environmental tobacco smoke. A social marketing program promoting the media campaign messages enlists the help of community organizations and individuals to reinforce change in social norms. ATOFF's policy component concentrates on practice change among healthcare professionals in tobacco use assessment and counseling and offers training in the delivery of a brief stop-smoking intervention, asking patients about tobacco use, advising them to stop, and assisting them in ways to quit.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify methods (e.g. comprehensive media program, social marketing, and policy change) to help indigent women quit smoking.
• Identify effective methods for evaluating a community-based anti-tobacco use media and policy campaign.

Keywords: Smoking Cessation, Public Health Education and Health Promotion

Related Web page: www.atoff.net

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.