title: Mobilizing for policy: using community-based participatory research to impose minimum packaging requirements on small cigars.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cigarette sales have declined in the United States over the past decade; however, small cigar sales have been rapidly increasing. In most urban areas, small cigars are inexpensive and are sold as singles without health warnings.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper describes a community- academic-practice partnership's (CAPP) efforts to decrease small cigar use in young adults living in Baltimore, Maryland, through legislative strategies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Survey data among young adults not in school indicated that 20% of individuals reported current small cigar use, often in combination with cigarettes. The community- academic partnership engaged the community in discussion about small cigar use in the fall of 2007. In collaboration with partners, bills were submitted to the legislative bodies for the city and state to impose minimum packaging requirements on small cigars.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Collaborative partnerships between community-based organizations, public health agencies, and academic institutions can lead to policy initiatives with the potential to improve public health.
authors: The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Mental Health, MD, USA.
authors: Adam J
authors: AJ
authors: Milam
authors: Lee
authors: L
authors: Bone
authors: Debra
authors: D
authors: Furr-Holden
authors: Megan
authors: M
authors: Coylewright
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Dachille
authors: Kerry
authors: K
authors: Owings
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Clay
authors: William
authors: W
authors: Holmes
authors: Soula
authors: S
authors: Lambropoulos
authors: Frances
authors: F
authors: Stillman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011050:Policy Making; D019064:Product Packaging / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012907:Smoking; D055815:Young Adult