An update on tobacco control initiatives in comprehensive cancer control plans.

Introduction: Comprehensive cancer control (CCC) coalitions address tobacco use, the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, through formal plans to guide tobacco control activities and other cancer prevention strategies. Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs (Best Practices) and The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide) are used to assist with this effort. We examined CCC plans to determine the extent to which they followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) tobacco control and funding recommendations.

Newspaper coverage of implementation of the Michigan smoke-free law: lessons learned.

Objective: To examine whether newspaper coverage of the Michigan smoke-free law was favorable or hostile, contained positive messages that had been disseminated by public health groups, contained negative messages, and differed across regions.

Method: Articles about the smoke-free law in print or online editions of Michigan newspapers the month immediately before and after the law took effect were identified and were coded for tone, positive messages contained in media outreach materials, and negative messages commonly disseminated by smoke-free law opponents.

Results: A total of 303 print and online articles were identified; the majority were coded as "both positive and negative" (34%) or "mainly positive" in tone (32%).

Successfully maintaining program funding during trying times: lessons from tobacco control programs in five states.

Despite negative financial conditions in recent years, several states were able to successfully maintain funding for tobacco prevention and control, which provided an opportunity to understand the factors associated with success. One explanation may be the level of long-term program sustainability in some states. According to a model developed by Saint Louis University researchers, the five elements critical to tobacco control sustainability are state political and financial climate; community awareness and capacity; program structure and administration; funding stability and planning; and surveillance and evaluation.

Clean indoor air: where, why, and how.

Clean indoor air policies are an effective way to eliminate exposure to second hand smoke and reduce smoking among youth and adults; they are strongly recommended by the Surgeon General and the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. How these policies are put into effect and at what level of government can make a difference. Legislation that preempts local action prevents communities from enacting more stringent laws or tailoring laws to address community-specific issues.