title: Modification of a local smoking ordinance: a case-report of chiropractic health advocacy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health Promotion may involve assessing the community and assisting in the formation of coalitions that empower a community to reduce health risks.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe an intervention lead by a doctor of chiropractic to reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in one rural southeast Alabama town.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A coalition influenced the city council to modify an existing ordinance governing smoking in public places. As a secondary goal, the coalition hoped to use the local media to significantly increase public awareness of the dangers of ETS through positive press coverage of their efforts and general media advocacy. City councilmen and the local media were involved in the coalition to use a political process to change the ordinance. Ten months after initiating the project, the existing ordinance was modified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Doctors of chiropractic involved as health advocates were able to change the local ordinance pertaining to indoor smoking.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Parker Chiropractic Research Institute.
authors.forename: Marion W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Evans
references.citation: J Epidemiol Community Health. 2000 Sep;54(9):673-6
references.pmid: 10942446
references.citation: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2002 Jul 26;51(29):642-5
references.pmid: 12186222
references.citation: Annu Rev Public Health. 1991;12:209-34
references.pmid: 2049136
references.citation: BMJ. 1997 Oct 18;315(7114):980-8
references.pmid: 9365295