Partnering with education and job and training programs for sustainable tobacco control among Baltimore african american young adults.
BACKGROUND
Young adults are generally overlooked in tobacco control initiatives, even though they are critical to sustained success. African American young adults who are not in higher education or working are particularly vulnerable to harmful tobacco use, given high smoking rates and limited access to cessation services.


OBJECTIVE
Guided by community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles, we sought to identify program and community-level strategies to reduce tobacco use among African American young adults in Baltimore. We describe the challenges and opportunities for integrating effective tobacco control into community-based education and job training programs for unemployed young adults.


METHODS
As part of a longstanding community-research partnership in Baltimore, we conducted fourteen semistructured key informant interviews with leaders from city government and education and job training programs for young adults. The research design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination all included dialogue between and active contribution by both research and community partners.


RESULTS
Interview data were structured into opportunities (mindset for change and desire for bonds with a trusted adult), challenges (culture of fatalism, tobacco as a stress reliever, and culture of tobacco use among young adults), and possible tobacco control solutions (tobacco education designed with and for program staff and participants and integration of tobacco issues into holistic program goals and policies).


CONCLUSIONS
The emergent themes enhance our understanding of how tobacco is situated in the lives of unemployed young adults and the potential for building sustainable, community-based public health solutions.
Smith
Katherine Clegg
KC
Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Bone
Lee
L
Clay
Eric A
EA
Owings
Kerry
K
Thames
Sean
S
Stillman
Frances
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D019058:Community Networks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004651:Employment; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008396:Maryland / Q000453:epidemiology; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D040241:Social Marketing; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult