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Tools for Eliminating Disparities & Achieving Parity

Adult Smoking Rates in Washington: A Report on Current Disparities
This report provides data that quantifies the differences or disparities in adult smoking rates among specific population groups in Washington State and will help to design programs and activities to improve the health of those at greatest risk for cigarette use.
Compiled by: WA State Department of Health, Tobacco Control Program.

American Lung Association - State of Lung Disease in Diverse Communities: 2010
The American Lung Association (ALA) recently released the “State of Lung Disease in Diverse Communities: 2010.” This report provides statistics, background information, and current research regarding lung health issues as they relate to diverse communities and is intended to assist in the identification of risk factors and lung disease trends.

Asian Pacific Parters for Empowerment, Advocacy, and Leadership (APPEAL)
A national network of over 500 organizations and individuals working towards social justice and a tobacco-free Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

Boards of Health Addressing Health Disparities through Tobacco Use Prevention and Control
This 2010 series of factsheets from the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) features a set of one-page documents dedicated to tobacco use prevention among African Americans, Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders, American Indians/Native Alaskans, and Low Socioeconomic Status Populations. These factsheets are designed to aid in defining health disparities as well as underestanding how these populations are affected by tobacco use.

Break Free Alliance
The Break Free Alliance engages states and key organizations serving low SES populations in tobacco control efforts and assists them with resource development and assessments, technical assistance, capacity building and evaluation to prevent and reduce tobacco use in low-income communities.

CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report -- United States, 2011
Released as a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Supplement, the report provides analysis and reporting of the recent trends and ongoing variations in health disparities and inequalities in selected social and health indicators, both of which are important steps in encouraging actions and facilitating accountability to reduce modifiable disparities by using interventions that are effective and scalable.

CDC's National Tobacco Control Networks Support Puerto Rico LGBT Events & Inclusion
This report highlights how the National Latino Tobacco Control Network (NLTCN) and the National LGBT Tobacco Control Network collaborate to support LGBT efforts in Puerto Rico. Please click here to view the report in Spanish.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Information on the differences in the patterns, prevention, and treatment of tobacco use among specific populations.

The Changing Face of Tobacco Control
Factsheet developed by The Praxis Project.

Cigarette Smoking Interventions Among Diverse Populations
The Tobacco Research Network on Disparities (TReND) recently announced the release of the special journal issue, Cigarette Smoking Interventions Among Diverse Populations. This issue, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, includes 15 papers that provide insight into how to effectively reduce tobacco's impact on populations who are disproportionately affected by tobacco use. In this special issue, researchers examine the use and efficacy of various evidence-based interventions among diverse populations, including African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos.

Closing the Gap: Solutions to Race-Based Health Disparities
This report identifies practices that successfully address racial and ethnic disparities in health. Compiled by: Applied Research Center and Northwest Federation of Community Organizations.

Community Development Model for Eliminating Population Disparities
PowerPoint Presentation developed by Robert G. Robinson, Dr.P.H., Former Associate Director for Program Development Office on Smoking and Health.

Conceptual and Methodological Issues for Research on Tobacco-Related Health Disparities
Published in October 2007, this supplemental issue of Addiction is devoted to research on tobacco-related health disparities, with an emphasis on some of the conceptual and methodoligical issues underpinning this research.  The papers are products of the Tobacco Research Network on Disparities (TReND), funded by the National Cancer Institute and the American Legacy Foundation. The articles describe key issues for health professionals and policy makers, and bring new insight on previous assumptions about tobacco-related disparities. 

Culture, Cultural Proficiency, & Cross Cultural Communication
PowerPoint Presentation developed by Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Ph.D., MPH, Cecilia Portugal, MPH, Marisol Romero, BA, USC/Keck School of Medicine, Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research.

Eliminating Tobacco Related Health Disparities Through Strategic Planning and Community Engagement: A Case Study
Compiled by: WA State Department of Health, Tobacco Control Program.


Enhancing Cultural and Community Competence for Tobacco Control for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
The cultural competence kit is designed for tobacco control advocates and policy makers working in the tobacco control movement who wish to work with AAPIs in their communities.  It emphasizes the importance of institutionalizing cultural competency activities in policies, programs, staff, and coalitions.  The kit also includes an introduction to cultural competency resources and case studies, as well as how to assess institutional cultural competency, identify areas for improvement, develop a cultural competency plan, and sustain momentum. For a copy of this publication, please contact APPEAL at appeal@appealforhealth.org

FDA Center for Tobacco Products Spanish-Language Website
FDA's Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) website is now available in Spanish! This new resource for the Spanish-speaking community will provide key information to assist in reducing the public health burden of tobacco use.

Legacy Factsheets (2011 Updates!)
The Research section on Legacy's website offers resources for tobacco control practicioners and researchers, including factsheets on a variety of topics. A new four-page fact sheet has been developed on tobacco use and cessation trends among individuals with low socioeconomic status (SES). The factsheet also addresses the associations between SES and secondhand smoke exposure and negative health effects. Recently updated factsheets include: Smoking in Television; African Americans and Smoking; Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and Smoking; and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) communities and Smoking.

LGBT Disparities Planning
A collection of helpful tools for thinking about addressing tobacco related disparities in your community. Includes community assessments, recommendations & guides, and examples of several states' disparities plans. 

Making Public Programs Work for Communities of Color: An Action Kit for Community Leaders
An Action Kit developed by Families USA, The Voice for Health Care Consumers.

Making Tobacco Relevant for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
The relevance kit is designed to explain why tobacco prevention and control is an important issue to address in AAPI communities. The goals are threefold: to increase awareness of Asian American and Pacific Islander tobacco issues; to provide methods for making tobacco issues relevant to diverse communities; to motivate Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to become involved with tobacco control.  Community members, policy makers, community health centers, health professionals, and program developers can benefit from reading this kit. For a copy of this publication, please contact APPEAL at appeal@appealforhealth.org

Menthol Cigarettes: Moving Toward a Broader Definition of Harm
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office of Smoking and Health and Legacy are pleased to announce the publication of this special supplemental issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research. The findings show that menthol cigarettes are preferred by youth, women, and certain racial/ethnic minority groups; menthol in cigarettes may increase smoking initiation, increase the addiction potential of tobacco, and make it harder to quit in certain subgroups; and menthol cigarettes may be perceived by some groups as being less harmful and providing health benefits due to the historical tobacco industry marketing practices of this product.

Moving Beyond Data to Making a Difference Implementing Goal Four of CDC Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
Policy Advocacy on Tobacco and Health (PATH) Initiative developed by The Praxis Project, July 2005.

Moving Toward Health: Achieving Parity through Tobacco Control for All Communities
The parity kit was developed by the Alliance on Advancing Parity & Leadership for Priority Populations (Parity Alliance).  The kit addresses the tobacco and health inequities faced by communities of color and other priority populations. 
The goals of the toolkit are:

  • To provide a framework for understanding the specific tobacco-related problems of heterogeneous communities of color (African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives), and other priority populations (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders (LGBTs), low socioeconomic status, women, youth)
  • To raise and respond to key questions regarding the background and challenges of working toward parity
  • To suggest some specific steps to move towards achieving parity for all communities
  • To provide a list of some community organizations that can help provide technical assistance, referrals and resources on working with respective communtiies on tobacco control issues.

APPEAL and the Parity Alliance have promoted advancing parity as a high priority in the tobacco control movement.

National African American Tobacco Education Network (NAATEN)
The National African American Tobacco Education Network (NAATEN) is a network of African American organizations (Stakeholders) that are committed to tobacco control leadership as an organization and their constituents through establishing or augmenting tobacco prevention and control policies and activities.

The Network for LGBT Health Equity
The Network for LGBT Health Equity, formerly the National LGBT Tobacco Control Network, serves as a clearinghouse for tobacco control & prevention advocates working on LGBT tobacco efforts.

National Native Commercial Tobacco Abuse Prevention Network (NNCTAPN)
A network of three partnering organizations (Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Muscogee Creek Nation Tobacco COntrol Program, Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen's Health Board) who are committed to leading national efforts to reduce additive commercial tobacco abuse among American Indians and Alaska Natives by building a community of tobacco prevention stakeholders who are connected resources that will allow them to promote positive change.

The National Partnership for Action for Action to End Health Disparities: National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity
The strategy promotes systematic and systematic change that improves the overall health of the nation and its most vulnerable populations. It incorporates ideas, suggestions and comments from thousands of individuals and organizations across the country. Local groups can use this tool to identify which goals are most important for their communities and action steps to help reach them.

The National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities: Toolkit for Community Action
The National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities was developed with the mission of mobilizing and connecting individuals and organizations across the country to create a nation in which all people have a chance to reach their full health potential. This toolkit will help individuals, communities, and organizations from the public and private sectors raise awareness about health disparities, engage others in conversations about the problem and solutions, and take action for change.

National Tribal Tobacco Prevention Network (NTTPN)
The National Tribal Tobacco Prevention Network (NTTPN) is an expanding alliance of more than 300 tobacco prevention and education advocates committed to improving the wellness of American Indian and Alaska Native people by working to reduce commercial tobacco use.  To support National partners in developing effective and culturally appropriate tobacco prevention and education programs, NTTPN offers technical assistance, trainings, links to valuable resources, and regular opportunities for networking.  The only requirement for participation in the Network is a shared commitment to improving the health of Native people by working toward the reduction of commercial tobacco use.  The NTTPN is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Tobacco Research Network on Disparities (TReND)
Trend Mission: To eliminate tobacco-related health disparities through transdisciplinary research that advances the science, translates that scientific knowledge into practice, and informs public policy.  Check out the TReND Toolkit!  This comprehensive toolkit contains a number of helpful resources to provide assistance on eliminating tobacco-related health disparities.  Some of these resources include: data set overviews, media materials, studies on tobacco-related inequalities, as well as a list of international tobacco control funding organizations.

Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Tool Kit (2011 Supplemental Edition)
This toolkit was designed by the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) as a resource guide for boards of health and public health professionals to assist in making informed decisions regarding tobacco use prevention and control programs and policies. The tool kit features topics such as smoke-free policy, communication and media, specific information on working with priority populations, and more.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Action Plan to Reduce Disparities
The plan outlines goals and actions HHS will take to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities. The Deparment commits to continuously assessing the impact of all policies and programs on racial and ethnic health disparities. It will promote integrated approaches, evidence-based programs and best practices to reduce these disparities.