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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Deborah L. McLellan, MHS, Center for Community-Based Research, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 196 Chestnut Avenue, Unit L, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, 617-522-4829, deborah_mclellan@comcast.net

Although research suggests that tobacco control policies (e.g. reducing exposure to secondhand smoke and increasing the price of tobacco through taxation) reduce the overall prevalence of smoking in the general population, little is known regarding their impact on sub-populations, including women and girls of lower socioeconomic status (SES). Recent Pub Med searches uncovered only six articles on the effects of tobacco control policy by the intersection of gender and class. The lack of research in this area motivated the National Cancer Institute and American Legacy Foundation-sponsored Tobacco Research Network on Disparities (TreND) to launch the first-ever U.S. initiative to advance the research on tobacco control policy's effects on low SES women and girls. Based on a review of the literature and environmental scans of landmark initiatives on tobacco control policy and low SES women in the U.S., Canada, and the European Union, this paper will outline four key reasons to examine the effects of tobacco control policy on low SES women and girls. These will include a synopsis of: tobacco-related health disparities by gender and class, lack of research in this area, tobacco industry targeting of low SES women, and recent national and international activity in this area.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Identify three tobacco-related health disparities relating to gender and class.
• Articulate four key reasons to examine the effects of tobacco control policy on low Socio Economic Status (SES) women and girls
• Describe a U.S. effort to address tobacco control policy’s effects on low SES women and girls.

Keywords: Tobacco Policy, Social Class

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No