The Ohio Cross-Cultural Tobacco Control Alliance: understanding and eliminating tobacco-related disparities through the integration of science, practice, and policy.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the development of a process designed to eliminate tobacco-related disparities in the state of Ohio and described how a cross-cultural work group used a multicomponent community planning process to develop capacity to address such disparities.


METHODS
The community development model was used as a guide in the planning process. We employed a case study, focus groups, and telephone interviews to assess the process and collect data on tobacco use and awareness. We also employed the appreciative inquiry framework to create the organizational design for the Ohio Cross-Cultural Tobacco Control Alliance (CCTCA), which was formed from the cross-cultural work group and charged with addressing tobacco-related disparities in the state.


RESULTS
Data on tobacco use and awareness were collected from 13 underserved populations. At the end of the planning process, the CCTCA was initiated along with structural capacity to serve as a new program incubator highlighting tobacco use and awareness levels in these populations.


CONCLUSIONS
The CCTCA appeared to be an effective way to begin mobilizing agencies serving underserved populations by providing an operational structure to address tobacco-related disparities. The alliance also successfully implemented culturally competent community-based programs and policies to help eliminate disparities.
Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-7904, USA. deason@uakron.edu
Lucinda M
LM
Deason
Surendra B
SB
Adhikari
Tracy M
TM
Clopton
Barry
B
Oches
Conrado
C
Jensen
D001984:Bronchial Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006291:Health Policy; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009820:Ohio / Q000453:epidemiology; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012586:Science; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality; D012935:Social Justice