235368 After Passing the Policy - What's Next? Steps to ensure that adopted policies are implemented and enforced

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Monty Messex, MPH , Tobacco Control & Prevention Program, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles, CA
Mark D. Weber, PhD , Tobacco Control & Prevention Program, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Los Angeles, CA
Jack Nicholl, MA , The Center for Tobacco Policy and Organizing, American Lung Association of California, Camarillo, CA
A primary avenue for changing social norms about tobacco use is through enactment of strong local tobacco control policies. However, if the enacted policy is not implemented and enforced it stands little chance of achieving its desired outcome. Since 2004, 97 local tobacco control policies have been adopted by cities in Los Angeles County. Unfortunately, we have seen that policy implementation and enforcement is not necessarily assured once a policy has been enacted.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's Tobacco Control and Prevention Program (TCPP) in partnership with the American Lung Association in California's Center for Tobacco Policy and Organizing developed a set of post-policy adoption activities specifically designed to address this problem, including: 1) researching how the policy should be implemented and enforced to be effective; 2) renewing relationships with elected officials and staff developed during the advocacy campaign and developing new relationships with staff involved in implementing the policy; 3) enlisting the public as an ally in the implementation and enforcement effort by increasing public awareness; and 4) evaluating the effectiveness of the implementation and enforcement effort.

Post-policy adoption activities have been implemented since 2007 by TCPP staff and community partners in a variety of tobacco control policy areas, including: smoke-free outdoor areas, smoke-free multi-unit housing and tobacco retailer licensing. Field-based experiences to date suggests that these activities are effective tools for nongovernmental organizations, community advocates and health departments to employ to help ensure that enacted tobacco control policies are implemented and enforced as intended.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe a set of post-policy adoption activities that have proven effective to help ensure that locally enacted tobacco control policies are implemented and enforced as intended.

Keywords: Tobacco Policy, Tobacco Control

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As Deputy Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Control and Prevention Program, I have over 7 years of experience related to tobacco control policy and community organizing. I have a Masters in Public Health from UCLA and have guest lectured there and elsewhere on this and related topic areas. I have presented at APHA and the National and International Conferences on Tobacco or Health on local tobacco policy adoption. I was integrally involved all phases of development of the activities described in this abstract.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.