title: Tobacco control: consensus report of the National Medical Association.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tobacco Control remains one of the greatest determinants for reducing the morbidity and mortality of African Americans.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the scope and consequences of tobacco use among African Americans and characterize its implications for the National Medical Association physician membership and their patients, and identify policy, education, advocacy and research issues in Tobacco Control for the organization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature review using the MEDLINE database from January 1966 to August 1999 Week 1, searching Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) reading combined with text words "Black" or "African American" and "Tobacco" as a search term, identified 130 articles/110 abstracts published between 1988 and February 1999. The panel selected 61 appropriate articles and a paper summarizing the literature review was developed. The summary paper was used as background material for a formal consensus panel discussion on July 16-17, 1999. Consensus among committee members was reached via mail, fax and e-mail using the summary review paper, annotated bibliographies key informant surveys, and previous NMA resolutions on tobacco control. A formal working session was held on July 16-17, 1999 in which four areas of concentration of issues were determined: Policy, Advocacy, Education and Research. All committee members approved the final report.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because tobacco control issues in African Americans are both complex and poorly understood, the panel views the NMA's role as pivotal in the coordination of resources and capacity-building to address all four areas identified. Stronger partner-ships with traditional federal and nonprofit agencies associated with tobacco control/advocacy in African Americans as well as nontraditional organizations (i.e., churches, academia, marketing and media organizations) also must occur to strengthen the infra-structure needed to assess needs, design appropriate interventions and evaluate the appropriateness, effectiveness and efficacy of tobacco control efforts in African American communities.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marable
authors.forename: Courtney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crim
authors.forename: Gary C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: Roselyn Payne
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Epps
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Sherry
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Eric T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Coolchan
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Pamela H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Payne
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D011640:Public Policy; D012106:Research; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000379:methods; D019460:Tobacco Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology