Communities Putting Prevention to Work: Engaging Child Health Leaders in Tobacco Control

In 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service under the ARRA Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) initiative to provide training and technical assistance to communities working to decrease smoking prevalence, teen initiation, and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. Communities were funded by the CDC to establish diverse coalitions and broad policy intervention efforts.

AAP conducted a needs assessment with 12 of the CPPW-funded communities focusing on pediatric leadership engagement and implementation of tobacco policy, systems and environmental change.

Semi-structured telephone interviews were held with each site to identify need for and engagement of child health providers in the community's action plan. Interest and receptivity to developing linkages between the communities and AAP state and local pediatric leaders in achieving community tobacco policy goals were evaluated.

Five of 12 communities had an objective in their project plans to increase clinical tobacco interventions or engage healthcare providers in tobacco control activities; only two had pediatric leaders included in these goals. All 12 were receptive to engaging pediatric leaders in their policy and advocacy efforts. Over a 4-month period, nine have initiated communications, four have identified local champions and planned joint activities, and one site has successfully partnered with pediatric leaders to positively influence policy change.

Early results show that pediatric clinician participation in tobacco control coalitions and local and state advocacy efforts can accelerate tobacco control policy outcomes, and may help protect children and families from tobacco and SHS.