Application of a CBPR Framework to Inform a Multi-level Tobacco Cessation Intervention in Public Housing Neighborhoods

• Published in: American journal of community psychology 2012-09, Vol.50 (1-2), p.129-140
• Main Authors: Andrews, Jeannette O., Tingen, Martha S., Jarriel, Stacey Crawford, Caleb, Maudesta, Simmons, Alisha, Brunson, Juanita, Mueller, Martina, Ahluwalia, Jasjit S., Newman, Susan D., Cox, Melissa J., Magwood, Gayenell, Hurman, Christina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Associations; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Black or African American; Clinical Psychology; Community; Community and Environmental Psychology; Community-Based Participatory Research; Environmental Factors; Female; Health Problems; Health Psychology; Humans; Innovations; Intervention; Multi-level interventions; Neighborhoods; Original Paper; Partnerships; Patient Education as Topic - methods; Peer Group; Personality and Social Psychology; Pilot Projects; Psychology; Public Health; Public Housing; Public Officials; RCT; Smoking cessation; Smoking Cessation - methods; Tobacco Products; Tobacco Use Cessation Devices; Urban Population; Urban Poverty
• ISSN: 0091-0562; 1573-2770; 1573-2770
• DOI: 10.1007/s10464-011-9482-6

African American women in urban, high poverty neighborhoods have high rates of smoking, difficulties with quitting, and disproportionate tobacco-related health disparities. Prior research utilizing conventional “outsider driven” interventions targeted to individuals has failed to show effective cessation outcomes. This paper describes the application of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) framework to inform a culturally situated, ecological based, multi-level tobacco cessation intervention in public housing neighborhoods. The CBPR framework encompasses problem identification, planning and feasibility/pilot testing, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination. There have been multiple partners in this process including public housing residents, housing authority administrators, community health workers, tenant associations, and academic investigators. The advisory process has evolved from an initial small steering group to our current institutional community advisory boards. Our decade-long CBPR journey produced design innovations, promising preliminary outcomes, and a full-scaled implementation study in two states. Challenges include sustaining engagement with evolving study partners, maintaining equity and power in the partnerships, and long-term sustainability of the intervention. Implications include applicability of the framework with other CBPR partnerships, especially scaling up evolutionary grassroots involvement to multi-regional partnerships.