The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: This session will outline the elements of designing a successful collaborative spit tobacco education and prevention program in a rural or frontier setting, which can also be used in a metro area. Before the session is over, individuals and organizations will be identified to serve as immediate resources and contacts for a collaborative effort to form a spit tobacco consortium in their geographic area and empower attendees with resources to help write ordinances to limit tobacco promotion.

Methods: Conference attendees will be given hands-on training and materials to develop and implement an effective spit tobacco education program through collaboration with other local, state, regional, and national organizations. They will learn how to combine efforts to increase credibility, resources, funding, spokespersons, media strength, position, and buying power. Step by step instruction will be provided to outline methods, resources and individuals to help you immediately develop a powerful spit tobacco education/prevention program. Sample city, county and state ordinances limiting tobacco distribution will also be provided.

Results: The examples of ordinances provided during this presentation have been approved by city councils, health boards and other elected officials. The materials provided have been tested in rural settings to be effective in initiating dialog leading to change is policies related to tobacco sampling and advertising activtity in rural areas.