Tobacco Basics

In tobacco education and prevention, policy change is the most effective means of changing the environment in which decisions about tobacco consumption are made. But before you embark on the work of tobacco prevention advocacy, take some time here to familiarize yourself with some of the history and basic assumptions about tobacco, the industry that exploits it for profit and the work of public health scientists and advocates seeking to curb its use. History presents an overview of the development of knowledge about tobacco’s dangers, along with a discussion about the Master Settlement Agreement. Controversy looks at the powerful public policy, personal freedom and political issues involved in tobacco control work. Science addresses what is known about tobacco and nicotine and their effects on human physiology. Approaches and Environments outlines key ways in which tobacco control advocacy has been shown to work most effectively and how to apply these various approaches to targeted populations.

This section sets the stage upon which community tobacco education and prevention work takes place.

History
Read a timeline that tracks the evolution of tobacco use policy and learn about the Master Settlement Agreement.

Controversy
Learn about tobacco prevention policy from both public health and industry perspectives.

Science
Understand the effects of tobacco and nicotine on human physiology.

Goals
Learn about the CDC’s goals for tobacco education and prevention policy.

Approaches and Environments
Read about the main approaches to tobacco prevention policy work and how to combine these approaches to influence key environments.

Self-Assessment
Take a short quiz for the Tobacco Basics Module.

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