Spring Break
Programs aid black smoking cessation
JOANN ANDERSON
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: News
Community-centered educational programs have helped decrease tobacco use in the black community in the last decade, a former Center for Disease Control official said Tuesday.
When looking at a community's tobacco use, "we have to look at issues of history, context, culture and geography," Robert Robinson said at the Bernard B. Ramsey Lecture, "Community Model for Eliminating Population Health Disparities: Triangulation of Theory, Data, and Practice."
Robinson served as the associate director for health equity in the Office of Smoking and Health at the Center for Disease Control between 1993 and 2006. Before that, he worked for the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, where he helped develop "Pathways to Freedom," an informational guide about quitting tobacco use for blacks.
Blacks are the second-largest smoking population in the United States, and Robinson said focusing on race in tobacco use is important. Having information about a race's history and culture can help decrease tobacco use, he said.
Effective anti-tobacco efforts include campaigns targeting the black community, he said.
A 1993 advertising campaign used images of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X to compare the tragic deaths of black leaders to the wasteful deaths of black smokers.
Many faith-based initiatives have been used, including support from black churches for the quitting process, he said.
"['Pathways to Freedom'] is the only guide in the country that says prayer will help you quit," he said.
Between 1990 and 2001, the prevalence of cigarette smoking decreased more in the black community than in the white community because of such programs. Had the quitting rate been the same for both demographics, more than 300,000 blacks would still be smokers today, he said.
The quitting rate for tobacco-smoking readers of "Pathways to Freedom" was two times higher than the quitting rate of mainstream anti-tobacco material readers, Robinson said.
Anti-tobacco groups use programs in the black community that also helped eliminate cigarettes targeted at blacks. For example, "Uptown" cigarette was discontinued after 13 days because of community-wide protests, Robinson said.
It is important to consider a community's development and competence when creating an educational program targeting it, he said.
"Mainstream public health initiatives cannot progress without diversification," he said.
The smoking issues Robinson addressed are important to the multi-dimensional aspect of health, Danielle Gleason, a junior from Shelton, Conn., said.
When looking at a community's tobacco use, "we have to look at issues of history, context, culture and geography," Robert Robinson said at the Bernard B. Ramsey Lecture, "Community Model for Eliminating Population Health Disparities: Triangulation of Theory, Data, and Practice."
Robinson served as the associate director for health equity in the Office of Smoking and Health at the Center for Disease Control between 1993 and 2006. Before that, he worked for the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, where he helped develop "Pathways to Freedom," an informational guide about quitting tobacco use for blacks.
Blacks are the second-largest smoking population in the United States, and Robinson said focusing on race in tobacco use is important. Having information about a race's history and culture can help decrease tobacco use, he said.
Effective anti-tobacco efforts include campaigns targeting the black community, he said.
A 1993 advertising campaign used images of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X to compare the tragic deaths of black leaders to the wasteful deaths of black smokers.
Many faith-based initiatives have been used, including support from black churches for the quitting process, he said.
"['Pathways to Freedom'] is the only guide in the country that says prayer will help you quit," he said.
Between 1990 and 2001, the prevalence of cigarette smoking decreased more in the black community than in the white community because of such programs. Had the quitting rate been the same for both demographics, more than 300,000 blacks would still be smokers today, he said.
The quitting rate for tobacco-smoking readers of "Pathways to Freedom" was two times higher than the quitting rate of mainstream anti-tobacco material readers, Robinson said.
Anti-tobacco groups use programs in the black community that also helped eliminate cigarettes targeted at blacks. For example, "Uptown" cigarette was discontinued after 13 days because of community-wide protests, Robinson said.
It is important to consider a community's development and competence when creating an educational program targeting it, he said.
"Mainstream public health initiatives cannot progress without diversification," he said.
The smoking issues Robinson addressed are important to the multi-dimensional aspect of health, Danielle Gleason, a junior from Shelton, Conn., said.
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