Chicago Southside Cancer Disparities Initiative (CSCDI): Educating MPH students about tobacco related health equity

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States, but low socioeconomic African American communities on Chicago’s Southside continue to see a surge in flavored tobacco product marketing via cultural sterotypes, ad placement and price reduction. Despite the FDA ban on all tobacco flavoring, menthol was excluded. Menthol tobacco flavoring is consumed almost exclusively by African American smokers (85%) and is linked to the steady increase of cancer mortality rates among African Americans.

Chicago State University (CSU) a minority serving university (MSU) and University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) have formed the Chicago Southside Cancer Disparities Initiative (CSCDI) to provide a pipeline of biomedical and cancer research education for underrepresented minority students. The partnership uses a community based participatory research approach to engage the community in curriculum development in an effort to meet the needs of the next generation of health professionals. Using the participatory approach, the community identified the unjust marketing practice of menthol flavored tobacco in the African American community as a primary instructional focus.

The presentation  will  highlight the CSCDI’s use of community town hall forums, collaboration with other Chicago university researchers and partnership with the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council to develop MPH coursework exploring this unique social justice issue. Presenters will share evaluation results and the subsequent work of the Chicago Department of Public Health that resulted in the passing of cutting edge tobacco control legislation and increased taxation on menthol flavored tobacco products.