Abstract CN03-01: Dissemination and implementation of cancer prevention policies: The example of smoke-free public housing

Second and third hand smoke exposure increases risk for a number of cancers and other adverse health effects in smokers and non- smokers. Public health campaigns have reduced smoking in many types of public enclosed spaces, but the residential environment remains an important area for risk reduction. In multi-unit housing, significant exposure due to drift between units has led to market and policy efforts to promote smoke-free multi-unit housing options. Public housing authorities have implemented smoke-free policies in greater numbers since the 2009 HUD Healthy Homes Strategic Plan, but the implementation of smoke-free policies in public housing, which must serve diverse communities of low income families, disabled, and elderly residents, presents ethical and logistical challenges.The Philadelphia Housing Authority is the fourth largest housing authority in the US, serving over 80,000 residents, and is among the largest to implement smoke-free policies. The Drexel School of Public Health, in partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has conducted a longitudinal mixed methods evaluation of the implementation process.Our formative evaluation began with in-depth interviews and focus groups with residents, including smokers and non-smokers, as well as PHA staff, policy leaders, and local tobacco control stakeholders, as well as ethnographic observations of the tobacco use culture in divers...

Source: Cancer Prevention Research - October 2, 2015 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Klassen, A. C. Tags: Tobacco: Oral Presentations - Invited Abstracts Source Type: research