title: Public health strategies to reduce tobacco-related illnesses and deaths in Milwaukee County.
abstract: Tobacco use is a public health issue in general and a pediatric health issue in particular. The tobacco habit is expensive and deadly. It exacts a toll across every level of the population, but nowhere more so than among children, women, minorities, persons of low socioeconomic status, and those in blue collar jobs. Using a model which approaches public health hazards through three focal points--host, agent/vehicle, and environment--effective strategies can be developed, targeted, and implemented in conjunction with local anti-tobacco efforts. Metropolitan Milwaukee is a key intervention area, currently having a broad-based coalition of state and local anti-tobacco groups working for change. Key objectives not met in Milwaukee at the midterm of Healthy People 2000 are reduction of smoking among youth and among pregnant women. Efforts in these areas could benefit greatly by greater involvement of physicians, particularly on the organizational level.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011057:Politics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014922:Wisconsin / Q000453:epidemiology