In January 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an updated version of its Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs, which was first published in 1999, and previously updated in 2007. Based on "Best Practices" as determined by evidence-based analysis of state tobacco control programs, this CDC guidance document recommends that states establish programs that are comprehensive, sustainable and accountable. The CDC lists five components as crucial in a comprehensive tobacco control program: State and Community Interventions, Mass-Reach Health Communication Interventions, Cessation Interventions, Surveillance and Evaluation and Infrastructure, Administration and Management.
The CDC also recommends an overall level of funding for each state's tobacco control program based on a variety of state-specific factors such as prevalence of tobacco use, the cost and complexity of conducting mass media to reach targeted audiences and the proportion of the population that is below 200% of the federal poverty level. For the tobacco prevention and control spending area, the CDC recommendation for state funding of comprehensive programs served as the denominator in the percentage calculation to obtain each state's grade. Each state's total funding for these programs (including federal funding from the CDC given to states for tobacco prevention and cessation activities) served as the numerator. After calculating the percentage of the CDC recommendation each state had funded, grades were assigned according to the following formula.
| Grade | Percent of CDC Recommended Level |
|---|---|
| A | 80% or more |
| B | 70% to 79% |
| C | 60% to 69% |
| D | 50% to 59% |
| F | Less than 50% |
Limitation of Grading System on State Tobacco Control Expenditures
The American Lung Association bases its tobacco prevention and cessation program funding grades on the total amount allocated to tobacco control programs, including applicable federal funding, in each state, but does not evaluate the expenditure in each of the CDC-recommended categories. The Lung Association does not evaluate the efficacy of any element of any state's program. Therefore, a state may receive a high grade but be significantly underfunding a component or components of a comprehensive program. It also may be true that a state with a low grade is adequately funding a specific component or program in one community.
However, the CDC recommends a comprehensive program and explains that simply funding an element of the program will not achieve the needed results. The CDC explicitly calls for programs that are comprehensive, sustained and accountable. The American Lung Association agrees with the CDC and believes that the total funding is a fair basis for grading state programs and a state's tobacco control funding performance.
Page last updated: April 17, 2024