ENVIRONMENTAL AND POLICY INTERVENTIONS TO CONTROL TOBACCO USE AND PREVENT CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE

Despite its declining prevalence during the past few decades, tobacco use remains one of the most significant public health issues of the 19 90s. Environmental and policy interventions are among the most cost-ef fective approaches to control tobacco use and prevent cardiovascular d iseases. In this article, the authors review and offer to state and lo cal health departments and other public health partners a summary of r ecommended policy and environmental interventions that have either red uced or show potential to reduce tobacco use. Priority recommendations include clean indoor air policies, restrictions on tobacco advertisin g and promotion, policies limiting youth access to tobacco, comprehens ive school health programs, and excise taxes and other economic incent ives. Many of these recommendations should be integrated with other he alth promotion interventions to also improve nutrition and physical ac tivity. The authors also highlight several successful interventions an d strategies used to establish policies at the state and local levels.