Sustaining State Funding For Tobacco Control
OSH Strategic Priority: The Background
One of the strategic priorities of the Centers for Disease Control’s
Office on Smoking and Health (CDC/OSH) is to help states preserve tobacco
control infrastructure in the face of serious budget challenges. A recent
study found that states that spend more on comprehensive tobacco control
programs have double the decrease in cigarette sales compared with those
that spend less.1 Clearly, tobacco
control programs work, and we must continue to invest in these comprehensive
programs to save lives.
Vision
A world free from tobacco-related death and disease.
OSH Mission
As the lead federal agency for comprehensive tobacco prevention and
control, CDC/OSH develops, conducts, and supports strategic efforts to
protect the public’s health from the harmful effects of tobacco use.
OSH Goals
- Prevent initiation of tobacco use among youth and young adults.
- Promote tobacco use cessation among adults and youth.
- Eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke.
- Identify and eliminate tobacco related disparities.
OSH Strategic Priorities
- Promote sustainable science-based comprehensive tobacco control
programs at the CDC-recommended levels.
- Conduct tobacco product research and information dissemination.
- Enhance the science and delivery of quitline services.
- Strengthen global tobacco surveillance and translation of data for
action.
Sustainable State Programs Funding Objectives
- Provide strategic consultation to help states and territories sustain
their programs.
- Develop and maintain partnerships that provide leadership for
sustaining state and territorial funding.
- Provide and expand evidence for specific best practice components.
- Develop and provide training for states and territories to support and
promote program sustainability.
Objectives
Provide strategic consultation to help states and territories sustain
their programs
In response to requests by states and territories for the most up-to-date
evidence supporting the effectiveness of comprehensive tobacco control
programs, CDC OSH developed several documents that have been widely
disseminated.
The first document Research Synopsis for State
Tobacco Control Programs summarizes the results of recent tobacco
control studies that states, territories, and their partners can use when
communicating with decision-makers.
Another key document, Sustaining State
Funding for Tobacco Control: The Facts, is a bulleted summary, with
references, of recent evidence supporting the effectiveness of comprehensive
state tobacco control programs and why additional funding is necessary to
continue the positive trends that have been achieved during the past several
years.
As states have successes in their efforts to secure additional funding
for their tobacco control programs, CDC OSH will compile short synopses–or
snapshots–to highlight the process by which these states were able to
sustain their program funding. The first snapshot is from
Nebraska.
Develop and maintain partnerships that provide leadership for sustaining
state and territorial funding
Several times a year, CDC OSH’s national partners in tobacco control efforts
(i.e., voluntary organizations, foundations, and other nonprofit organizations)
convene to discuss issues of mutual interest or concern. In 2004, partners
met twice to discuss issues of program sustainability including
identification of new sources of funding and keeping coalitions strong when
funding is reduced.
Provide and expand evidence for specific best practices components
For the past several years, CDC OSH has published an annual report entitled
Tobacco Control State Highlights,
which summarizes information regarding the health impact and economic burden
of tobacco use and reports state-specific data related to key tobacco
control objectives. This year’s report,
Sustaining State Programs for
Tobacco Control Data Highlights: 2004, provides state-specific
estimates of adult and youth tobacco use prevalence, tobacco-related
disparities among adult population groups, the percentage of people
protected by clean indoor air policies, and costs of smoking including
Medicaid. This document provides important data that state and territorial
tobacco control programs can use to support their programs. In addition, CDC OSH
has conducted a thorough literature review of studies on the effectiveness
of comprehensive state programs (
PDF–886KB)
including peer-reviewed studies and major
state program evaluations with references. This literature review
can help state tobacco control programs identify research validating the
effectiveness of particular programs and policies they may be asked to
defend. The St. Louis University School of Public Health, with support from
CDC OSH, the National Cancer Institute, and the American Legacy Foundation is
currently exploring how states are addressing reductions in funding for
comprehensive tobacco control programs. The specific goals of this research
effort are to determine how state budget crises are affecting tobacco
control programs and to identify strategies to help the programs address
funding reductions.
Develop and provide training for states and territories to support and
promote sustainability
CDC OSH has designed several training opportunities to enable tobacco control
professionals to share information and strategies for sustaining programs.
As of October 2004, 23 state teams have participated in a planning
and goal setting process to be implemented in their states. The plans target
efforts to sustain their programs. Follow-up state-based workshops will be
convened in six of the participating states in late 2004 and early 2005.
Based on needs identified by states, territories, and partner
organizations, CDC OSH convenes monthly technical assistance and media network
calls to address issues such as crisis communication, counter-marketing
development, and stakeholder communication. These calls also serve as an
opportunity to alert states, territories, and partner organizations to newly
developed materials and upcoming training opportunities.
1Farrelly MC, Pechacek TP,
Chaloupka FJ. The impact of tobacco control program expenditures on
aggregate cigarette sales:1981–2000. Journal of Health Economics
2003;22(5):843–859. Published December, 2004.
Page last reviewed 06/18/2007
Page last modified 06/18/2007
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