Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114332

Christine Taggart, MPH, Community Health Sciences Division, Maternal and Child Health Program, Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health, 1603 West Taylor Street, 6th floor, Chicago, IL 60612, 708-257-5017, ctagga2@uic.edu and Michele A. Kelley, ScD, MSW, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1603 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612-4394.

Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in America. Children and youth exposed to secondhand smoke have higher rates of respiratory infections and irritations, and exposure increases the number and severity of asthma attacks in this population. Due to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, communities are increasingly applying pressure on their local policymakers to enact clean indoor air policies. With youth being among the general population affected by secondhand smoke, it is important that they become involved in efforts to protect their health from this toxin. However, youth participation in public health advocacy campaigns is limited due to barriers inherent in these initiatives. This presentation addresses lessons learned from youth involvement in a local clean indoor air campaign in a suburban Chicago community of 52,000 people. An ongoing evaluation consisting of semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and analysis of records of youth involvement in the initiative will be presented to answer the following questions: What motivated youth to participate in a local public health effort to rid public places of secondhand smoke? What is the involvement of youth, and how is it maintained? What kinds of contributions do they make to initiatives involving this issue? What do youth gain from their involvement in public health initiatives? Recommendations, reached through consensus among the campaign's participants, will be identified to engage and sustain youth involvement in local tobacco control efforts and other public health advocacy initiatives. Furthermore, the impact of participation on youth will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: Participants of the poster session will be able to

• identify what motivated youth to participate in a local public health effort to rid public places of secondhand smoke.
• describe the involvement of youth, and how it was maintained.
• list the contributions youth can make to initiatives involving this issue.
• describe what youth gain from their involvement in public health initiatives.
• identify recommendations to engage and sustain youth involvement in local tobacco control efforts and other public health advocacy initiatives.

Keywords: Youth, Tobacco

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.