Online Program

Oral

Obesity and tobacco use are the two leading preventable causes of death and disability in the United States. The Institute of Medicine and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently recommended environmental and policy strategies (e.g. ensuring provision of healthy food and beverage options in schools; limiting exposure to secondhand smoke) to prevent obesity and tobacco use and produce broad, high–impact, sustainable health outcomes for communities. However the pathway for implementing these strategies in low-income, resource poor communities is not well paved, and even less is known about implementing these strategies in Native American tribal communities, where obesity and tobacco-related health disparities are the worst in the nation. This session will present case studies of diverse Native American tribal communities from across the US engaging in community-based participatory research and community-based participatory policy work with health, government, and economic stakeholders to identify appropriate evidence-based strategies and implement and evaluate them within tribal community settings. The work in Native American communities has broad public health implications beyond Indian country in several ways. As sovereign nations, tribes have their own governments and policies, geographic land bases and businesses (e.g. convenience stores, casinos), and provide healthcare for their citizens, to whom they are beholden as key stakeholders. These factors make them interesting “microcosms” for examining the changing US healthcare system and illustrating participatory and community-driven health policy development. Indeed tribal communities may even be poised to play a leadership role in implementing health-promoting policies given an active and engaged citizenry base, which is what community-based participatory research and policy work facilitates. Our interactive session will be comprised entirely of Native American panelists with public health research and practice expertise who will share real-world implementation processes, including lessons learned, appropriate for diverse audiences engaged in community based participatory research and policy work with low-income, ethnically and racially diverse communities.

Session Objectives: (1) Define community-based participatory policy work and explain its methods and processes (2) Describe the steps that communities can engage in to identify and prioritize appropriate health-promoting policies that address obesity and tobacco use (3) Discuss a model for engaging in community based participatory policy work that incorporates community-driven decision-making in each phase of the process (4) Evaluate current educational resources and methods available for teaching community-based participatory research

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)