The CHIP chronic disease subcommittee recognized smoking, and tobacco use in general, as an important determinant of multiple chronic diseases and identified tobacco control efforts as a key mechanism for reducing the burden of chronic disease in the Southern Nevada community.
Goal 1: Decrease the prevalence of heart disease among those identified (Non-Hispanic Black/ African American, 65 and Older, by ZIP Codes)
Objective 1.1: By December 2025, advocate for and attempt to secure increased funding for tobacco control to CDC recommended funding levels as well as other chronic disease programs.
Action Step: Meet with Legislators to raise awareness and justify need for additional funding.
Action Step: Promote existing tobacco programs and the connection to reduced chronic disease.
Action Step: Identify funding priorities, best practices, and potential collaborations with local and statewide partners.
Goal 2: Decrease the prevalence of lower respiratory disease among those identified (Non-Hispanic Black/African American, 65 and Older, by ZIP Codes)
Objective 2.1: By December 2025, implement CDC or national model policy and law for secondhand smoke protection.
Action Step: Develop educational materials for distribution to legislators that share the model policies and the disproportionate impact of those policies on communities of color.
Action Step: Develop a tracker for model policy implementation
Action Step: Identify populations or communities not covered by tobacco policy.
Action Step: Meet with decision makers to promote and encourage secondhand smoke protection by creating smoke-free law/policies
Action Step: Review current model policies and the applicability for the state of Nevada
Action Step: Increase opportunities and awareness for establishments to go smoke-free based on positive "rewards".
Objective 2.2: By December 2025, decrease smoking prevalence in the non-Hispanic Black/African American, 65 and older, and geographic area.
Action Step: Promote tobacco cessation resources in the community
Action Step: Fund qualitative assessments to understand the lived experience of people from the identified communities that use tobacco
Action Step: Provide incentives for tobacco cessation
Goal 3: Decrease the prevalence of cancer among those identified (Non-Hispanic Black/African American, 65 and Older, by ZIP Codes)
Objective 3.1: By December 2025, decrease tobacco-related cancers for non-Hispanic Black/African-American, 65+, and those living in specific geographic areas.
Action Step: Increase access to healthy foods to use nutrition to promote prevention of the diseases.
Action Step: Use community health workers for increased health promotion and advocacy.
Action Step: Promote wellness checks and free wellness fairs and screenings.
Action Step: Targeted media initiatives and outreach to increase awareness.
What the data say:
- Clark County's age-adjusted death rate due to chronic lower respiratory diseases is significantly higher than the national rate.
- Nevada allocates less than $1 million per year toward comprehensive tobacco control which is approximately 3.2% of the CDC-recommended level of $30 million annually.¹
Significantly better than the overall value
Significantly worse than the overall value
No significant difference with the overall value