Public health program capacity for sustainability: a new framework.

Background: Public health programs can only deliver benefits if they are able to sustain activities over time. There is a broad literature on program sustainability in public health, but it is fragmented and there is a lack of consensus on core constructs. The purpose of this paper is to present a new conceptual framework for program sustainability in public health.

Perceptions of personal risk about smoking and health among Bosnian refugees living in the United States.

More than 60% of Bosnian refugees in the United States may be current smokers. Examining health beliefs can provide insight into smoking behaviors in this community. Four hundred ninety-nine Bosnians were interviewed about health beliefs and personal health risks related to smoking.

The best practices: use of the guidelines by ten state tobacco control programs.

Background: The Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention was the first national resource to define the nine required components of a comprehensive state tobacco control program. This evaluation examined how states used the guidelines in their program planning, and identifies strengths and weaknesses of the guidelines.

Methods: During 2002-2003, data were collected and analyzed from ten state tobacco control programs on familiarity, funding, and use of the guidelines.