2008 Clean Indoor Air Initiative
Kentucky leads the nation in smoking and lung cancer rates, and the situation is made worse by the effects of radon. Leading the effort to combat lung cancer and emphysema is Dr. Ellen Hahn of UK’s College of Nursing and the Clean Indoor Air Initiative (CIAP). This initiative is working to address the negative health impacts to Kentuckians of smoking, second-hand smoke, and radon. Designated as a 2008 Commonwealth Collaborative, it seeks to reduce Kentuckians’ exposure to indoor air pollutants through research, education, surveillance, and policy development.
CIAP partners include the Kentucky Department for Public Health, the Kentucky Radon Program, the State Office of Rural Health, the Kentucky League of Cities, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids, Chi Eta Phi Black Nurses’ Honorary Society, elected officials, and local health department professionals.
The Clean Indoor Air Initiative measures second-hand smoke exposure, does population surveys of self-reported second-hand smoke exposure at home, work, in cars and trucks, and elsewhere, and conducts the biannual Workplace Tobacco Policy Survey with all manufacturing facilities in Kentucky as well as the biannual School Tobacco Policy Survey with all middle and high, public and private schools in Kentucky. CIAP also monitors enacted and implemented smoke-free laws in Kentucky and the percent of Kentuckians covered by comprehensive smoke-free laws. It is beginning to collect data on radon exposure and to examine the associations of radon with smoking and lung cancer rates by Kentucky county.
CIAP has produced the booklet entitled Secondhand Smoke and Smoke-free Policy in cooperation with the Kentucky Department of Public Health to translate the science of second-hand smoke for Kentucky policy makers.
CIAP’s research division is funded by the National Institute of Health to study smoke-free policy development in rural Kentucky and is providing evidence-based, tailored outreach to twenty Kentucky counties. CIAP assists them in understanding the science of second-hand smoke and in building capacity and demand for smoke-free laws. Its Leadership Exchange Conference will bring together stakeholders from these rural Kentucky communities to develop tailored, evidence-based plans based on their level of readiness to advance local smoke-free policy and local data collections based on community need and readiness.
CIAP’s policy development division is known by community advocates and elected officials for helping communities advance smoke-free policy through evidence-based practice. It received the 2006 Smoke-free Challenge Award.