142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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315464
Investing in Nations: The Tribal Tobacco Education and Policy initiative

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 2:30 PM - 2:50 PM

Coco Villaluz, BA, , ClearWay Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
American Indian Nations have an ancient and special relationship with tobacco. Traditionally, tobacco is viewed as a sacred medicine given by the Creator, central to cultural practices and ceremonies. But for generations, the commercial tobacco industry has corrupted traditional tobacco practices, and has also marketed directly to American Indians by exploiting their images in advertisements. Today, smoking rates among American Indians in Minnesota are disproportionately high (59 percent compared to 16 percent among the general population), and tobacco-related diseases are the top killers in American Indian communities.  Through the Tribal Tobacco Education and Policy Initiative (TTEP), ClearWay Minnesota funds five Minnesota reservations with the goal of preparing their communities to advance smoke-free tribal policies.  This presentation will describe the history of commercial tobacco in American Indian communities and the efforts of Minnesota’s American Indian advocates to advance smoke-free policies on tribal lands.

Learning Areas:

Diversity and culture
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Explain the history of commercial tobacco industry corruption of Native tobacco practices and exploited American Indian imagery for marketing commercial tobacco products. Describe strategies being used to enact policies to reduce the impact of commercial tobacco on tribal communities. Discuss the historical use of traditional tobacco as a sacred medicine central to tribal culture.

Keyword(s): Native Americans, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I provide staffing for the TTEP initiative and have for over 10 years of experience of providing technical assistance and mentorship to American Indian communities around traditional tobacco and commercial tobacco use.
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.

Back to: 3322.1: Investing in Health Equity to Reduce Health Disparities