Using youth-driven community assessments to inform policy change

The 84, a program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and managed in partnership with Health Resources in Action, engages youth in educating their peers and decision-makers to advance local tobacco policies through community and school-based “Chapters.”

Issue

While the Youth Risk Behavior Survey provides some useful information, it does not offer insight into tobacco advertising density or retailer store density, or information on attitudes and perceptions regarding flavored tobacco products. Mini-grant projects fill this gap and help authentically engage youth in community assessments.

Description

Through six different mini-grant projects, youth evaluate e-cigarette trends in high schools; depict tobacco retailers’ proximity to schools and parks; and conduct the Standardized Tobacco Assessment for Retail Settings (STARS) survey. The projects are monitored for quality to ensure that local tobacco control advocates can utilize the data to inform policy change and collaborate with youth to educate legislators on key youth tobacco issues.  

Lessons Learned

Malden youth presented data about the perceptions of e-cigarettes to decision-makers, resulting in a strict tobacco policy that raised the minimum sales age for tobacco to 21 and banned smoking in hookah and cigar bars. Youth have worked in other towns to help pass regulations capping tobacco retail licenses and banning flavored tobacco products and blunt wraps.

Recommendations

Youth offer valuable, unique feedback on youth target markets, hangouts, and trends and have a strong familiarity with youth environments. The more that youth are involved in assessing their communities to determine the tobacco industry’s impact, the more empowered they are to pass policy.