Engaging priority populations in tobacco control advocacy and policy: The LAAMPP experience

Priority populations are disproportionately impacted by the harms from commercial tobacco and many have higher smoking rates, yet the voices of these communities are under-represented in policy efforts.  Twenty-three Fellows from 5 priority population cohorts (African Immigrant/African American, American Indian, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Latino, and LGBT) participated in the LAAMPP Institute (Leadership and Advocacy institute to Advance Minnesota’s Parity for Priority Populations), a leadership development program implemented over 18 months.  The goals of LAAMPP are to develop participants’ leadership skills and provide opportunities for policy advocacy experience, to increase participation and influence in local and state-wide tobacco control and other health-related disparity efforts in Minnesota.

Methods:  LAAMPP was implemented for the third time beginning in 2012, and is currently being evaluated.  Methods include baseline and follow up assessment of Fellows’ skills, pre- and post- key informant interviews with each Fellow, interviews with community contacts, case studies of projects undertaken by Fellows, and a Social Network Analysis.  Baseline data was collected in fall 2012 at the beginning of the Institute; follow up data collection will take place in spring 2014 after the Capstone Summit, with analysis completed by September 2014. 

This presentation will focus on two main findings from the evaluation:  the extent to which participation in LAAMPP increased Fellows’ capacity and confidence to engage in policy work, including data and examples of actions Fellows engaged in, and the extent to which Fellows’ tobacco control networks were expanded.