Skip to main content

COMMUNITY CASE STUDY article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1472654
This article is part of the Research Topic Innovative Teaching and Learning in Health Education and Promotion View all articles

Breaking Chains of Tobacco: Empowering African American Churches in West Virginia for a Healthier Future

Provisionally accepted
Donald Reed Donald Reed 1,2*Truman Dangerfield Truman Dangerfield 3Rhonda Robinson Rhonda Robinson 2Kenneth Ray Kenneth Ray 4Kathy Danberry Kathy Danberry 5Kim Tieman Kim Tieman 6
  • 1 Liberty University, Lynchburg, United States
  • 2 McDowell County Commission on Aging, Inc., Welch, West Virginia, United States
  • 3 Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States
  • 4 The Center for Black Health and Equity, Durham, North Carolina, United States
  • 5 West Virginia State Department of Health and Human Resources, Charleston, West Virginia, United States
  • 6 Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, Pittsburg, PA, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Across West Virginia, tobacco use continues to be a significant public health challenge. Specifically, tobacco use is linked to high poverty across the state and disproportionately affects African Americans. A faith-based tobacco prevention network was formed to address these concerns and increase education and cessation. The West Virginia African American Tobacco Prevention Network (WVAATPN) was formed in 2021 and since then has expanded its reach across the state, involving 22 congregations. The Network's model includes annual training for lay leaders on various tobacco-related topics, tailored educational curriculum for congregations, and collaboration with national experts to enhance program efficacy. The Network has run educational and cessation workshops and promoted events such as No Menthol Sunday. Workshops have yielded positive outcomes among participants, including increased awareness of tobacco marketing tactics, higher cessation rates, and improved understanding of the health impacts of tobacco. The WVAATPN continues to expand its reach and effectiveness by advocating for policy change, enhancing community engagement, and fostering partnerships to combat tobacco-related disparities in West Virginia's African American communities.Tobacco use remains a significant public health challenge in West Virginia, with high rates among adults and youth. According to recent data from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 21% of West Virginia adults and 7.6% of high school students smoke cigarettes, and 27.5% of high schoolers use e-cigarettes. The impact is severe, with smoking contributing to 4,300 deaths

    Keywords: Tobacco, Menthol, cessation, African American, grassroots, network, rural

    Received: 29 Jul 2024; Accepted: 09 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Reed, Dangerfield, Robinson, Ray, Danberry and Tieman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Donald Reed, Liberty University, Lynchburg, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.