EFFECTIVENESS OF A CONSULTATION INTERVENTION TO PROMOTE TOBACCO CONTROL POLICIES IN NORTHWEST INDIAN TRIBES - INTEGRATING EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION AND SERVICE DELIVERY

A quasi-experimental replication of an intervention for promoting toba cco control policies in Northwest Indian tribes is described and the p rocess of intervention including issues of collaboration among researc h institutions and Indian organizations is discussed. The policy inter vention was evaluated using a pretest-posttest design wherein 20 tribe s that had sewed as wait-list controls now received the intervention. The intervention comprised a tribal representative attending a kickoff orientation; follow-up visits to the tribes; distribution of tobacco policy workbooks; and phone call consultations. Policy status and stri ngency were assessed by means of telephone interviews with two key con tacts per tribe, and by a count of enacted policies. There were signif icant pre-post changes in the primary outcome measure, a composite sum mary score of tobacco policy stringency, and changes were also reflect ed in enacted policies. The intervention effects observed were similar to those found in the prior randomized trial and suggest a robust dis seminable intervention. Much of the success achieved was attributed to the role of an Indian organization in planning the project and implem enting the intervention and evaluation protocols.