The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: ACTis a collaborative community-based initiative to increase the capacity of community members to take action against tobacco. ACT recognizes that reducing tobacco use requires a shift in community attitudes & norms about smoking, & that a significant change can only occur when local people are committed to investing themselves in the effort.

Methods: Launched in 2001with a train the trainer & mentoring approach. An interim formative evaluation was conducted in 2005 to measure how capacity has been built and identify what will be sustained within ACT model to support building and sustaining capacity. An overview of the evolution of ACT, the role of the ACT Coach as a support & the tools needed for community engaged in tobacco control through quantitative and qualitative data will be presented, as well as identify opportunities among community engaged in effective tobacco control in how to support tobacco control capacity.

Results: There were 6dominant themes that emerged from the evaluation indiciating that ACT is making a difference . NS combines a variety of organizational, advocacy, educational, cessation and community-based activities to effect change in rates of tobacco use. Data will be presented about the implementation themes associated with community-based tobacco program; emphasis on the outcomes that have emerged as successful-Tobacco Free Sport and Recreation policy & Smoke Free Homes.