Kentucky legislators' views on tobacco policy

Context: Kentucky leads the nation in adult and teen smoking prevalence. Ev en though Kentucky is one of the most tobacco-dependent states, tobacco pol icy is subject to change in light of possible national tobacco legislation. Objective: To describe the degree of agreement among Kentucky legislators r egarding tobacco control and tobacco farming policy, and to discover whethe r use of the policy Delphi method produces a shift toward consensus on toba cco policy. Design: A two-round policy Delphi study was conducted using in-person inter views. Setting: Legislators' offices in Frankfort, Kentucky. Participants: Volunteer sample of 116 Kentucky legislators (84% response ra te). Main Outcome Measures: Degree of agreement on tobacco control and tobacco f arming policies. Results: Lawmakers were highly supportive of policies to lessen die state's dependence on tobacco, and were favorable toward stronger tobacco control policies. There were discrepancies, however, between what policies legislat ors thought were desirable and what policies were realistic. Tobacco intere sts were identified as possible explanations for this disparity. Tobacco al lotment ownership was associated with less support for tobacco control and tobacco farming policies. A shift toward consensus on tobacco policy was ac hieved in the second round for 45% of the interview items common to both ro unds. Conclusions: Kentucky legislators were:re highly supportive of reducing the state's dependence on tobacco and more supportive of tobacco control polic ies than expected. The policy Delphi method has the potential for shifting opinions about tobacco policies among state legislators. The findings of th is study identify opportunities for public health policy change in one of t he most tobacco-dependent states in die United States.