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Cross Cultural Archive

National Networks Consortium responds to new tobacco study announced by FDA

10/17/2011

New FDA/NIH Study

The other week at the Institute meeting down in Atlanta, the disparity networks gathered together for our own meeting after all the state reps went back home. First order of business was an update by FDA staff on the latest and greatest there. One of their big new items was an announcemet of a new Tobacco Control Longitudinal Study of Tobacco Users. Excellent! But wait, the press release says "...assess differences in attitudes, behaviors, and key health outcomes in racial-ethnic, gender, and age subgroups." Oh no, we know what that means, sharpen your pens ladies and gentlemen!

Our Response: New Joint Statement on Data Collection

Bam, within a week of learning that news, the Allied National Networks Consortium (aka all six of the CDC funded tobacco disparity networks) had approved a brand new Joint Statement on Data Collection.

Once you cut out the fluff (aka where we say how important it is) we basically say:

"Tobacco related data collection must include:

  • Routine demographic measures for sexual and gender minorities, per IOM recommendations.
  • Disaggregated data collection for racial and ethnic categories, per IOM recommendations.
  • Respondent reported data collection, versus interviewer determined, particularly for race, ethnicity, and sex.
  • In language data collection, especially for Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
  • Adequte low socio-economic indicators, particularly parental proxy indicators if it is a youth sample."

Today the Fedexes Arrive

Then we drafted some cover letters, had every network sign and sent them off to both the head of NIH, Dr. Francis Collins and Dr. Deyton at Center for Tobacco Products at FDA. We look forward to hearing back! And we hope you can use this new Joint Statement on Data Collection locally as well.

By Dr. Scout, Director, The Network for LGBT Health Equity (article originally posted here)

"No Communities Left Behind": California's Priority Populations Launch a New Tobacco Control Initiative

08/05/2011

On August 3, 2011, the newly formed ADEPT (Advocacy and Data Dissemination to Achieve Equity for Priority Populations on Tobacco) Project had its official launch in Long Beach, California.

The ADEPT Project is comprised of five partners working with six vulnerable populations: Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment, Advocacy and Leadership (APPEAL); the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC); Coalition of Lavender-Americans on Smoking & Health (CLASH), who work with the LGBT community; Break Free Alliance of the Health Education Council, who work with the low socioeconomic status (SES) community; and the University of Southern California (USC), who work with Hispanic/Latino and American Indian communities.

California's recent smoking prevalence data reports that adult smoking rates are at an all time low of 11.9%, second only to Utah. However, with smoking prevalence for African American males at over 18% and Lesbian, gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) young adults at 43%, there are many other California populations that have not shared in the gains reaped from the passage of Proposition 99.

This collaborative group is working to help their communities catch up by ensuring that critical tobacco use data on California's most diverse and vulnerable populations are shared and disseminated within those communities. While these communities face the greatest disparities related to tobacco use and the impact of tobacco, they are also the least educated on these issues and have benefitted the least from California's historic gains in tobacco control. Helping to increase these communities' understanding of the impact of tobacco use on vulnerable populations will lead to increased mobilization of tobacco control program and policy initiatives.

To read the entire press release, please click here.

By ADEPT

August 2010

Recently, two National Networks collaborated in Puerto Rico: the National Latino Tobacco Control Network (NLTCN) and the National LGBT Tobacco Control Network. During Puerto Rico's Gay Pride festivities this year, volunteers from both organizations distributed health and social justice resources, gathered information for various surveys, including a health tobacco survey, and collected signatures for a petition to create official links between the Puerto Rican Department of Justice, the Police Department, and local Puerto Rican LGBT groups. The two Networks also participated in the Puerto Rico Tobacco Free Coalition meeting where they were able to bring the LGBT perspective to the agenda and discuss the inclusion of gender and sexual orientation questions in island-wide surveillance surveys. For a detailed a report on the collaboration, please click here. To view the report in Spanish, please click here.

By National Latino Tobacco Control Network (NLTCN) and The National LGBT Tobacco Control Network

2009

In 2002, members of APPEAL, NAATPN, NLTCN and other individuals participated in the independent Task Force on Advancing Parity and Leadership in Tobacco Control for Priority Populations to produce "Moving Toward Health: Achieving Parity through Tobacco Control for All Communities."  The kit addresses the tobacco and health inequities faced by communities of color and other priority populations.