Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation
Walden University
NURS 6050
Assessing a Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation
| Healthcare Program/Policy Evaluation Description | The healthcare policy that I am choosing to explore is “Tobacco Free Florida” (TFF). This program was started in 2007 and is subsidized by funds received from Florida’s tobacco settlement (Tobacco Free Florida a [TFF a], n.d.). This 11.3-billion-dollar settlement was a result of the State of Florida winning a lawsuit against tobacco producers, after making claims that tobacco producers were conspiring to hide the deadly effects of tobacco use from the public (Meier, 1997). TFF is a win and great benefit for Florida residents, as many States that received settlements from didn’t use the money won from tobacco producers to formulate anti-smoking campaigns (Rath, 2013). In 2006 the residents of Florida voted in a constitutional amendment, launching a tobacco use prevention and education program, mandating that it was fashioned after the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) best practice model for wide-ranging tobacco control (TFF a). |
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| How was the success of the program or policy measured? | The success of this program was measured by data collection; assessing how many smokers are in Florida now versus when the program was first initiated, how many new smokers since that time and how many youths are using tobacco products now versus then. Some data, such as data on youth tobacco use, was collected from surveys conducted by Florida’s Department of Health. Other data was taken from studies conducted by the CDC (TFF a). |
| How many people were reached by the program or policy selected? How much of an impact was realized with the program or policy selected? | There is no hard data that I uncovered that speaks to how many people were reached by this program. TFF uses hard-hitting, graphic television commercials, radio advertisements, billboards, and posters; they also have a presence at sporting events and music festivals, using software at these events that show how people will age if they continue to smoke (Buckley, 2017). Data gathered shows that this program is quite successful, so it stands to reason that many Floridians were reached by this program. The data shows that youth smoking has decreased by 71% since the program’s inception, 212,000 people have effectively quit using the tools provided by TFF, the amount of adult Florida residents that smoke is the lowest it has ever been, and as a result of these things it costs the state 15% less annually on smoke-related healthcare costs (TFF a). |
| What data was used to conduct the program or policy evaluation? | The Florida Youth Tobacco Survey (FYTS) performed by the Florida Department of Health tracts the use of tobacco by Florida’s middle school and high school children, this survey has been done annually since 1998; they provide the data collected to Florida’s Health’s Bureau of Tobacco Prevention and Control (Florida Department of Health [FL DOH], n.d.). The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), conducted by the CDC, is the largest telephone health survey in the world, annually interviewing 450,000 adults; this survey gives Florida the information it needs to evaluate the effectiveness of the TFF program (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], n.d.). |
| What specific information on unintended consequences were identified? | TFF advocates for smoke free housing policies; citing that they protect against the many dangers of being exposed to second-hand smoke that can travel from one apartment or unit to others and that having a smoking unit costs the owner much more money to turn over than that of a non-smoking unit (Tobacco Free Florida b [TFF b], n.d.) They offer free aid in helping property owners and managers implement smoke-free policies (TFF b). Public housing now has rules prohibiting indoor smoking, and because punitive policies are in place, this could result in evictions for repeat offenders; “housing instability creates disruption and anxiety for families and their children. Evictions can result in disruptions of work, school, support networks of families and friends, and health and other services” (Ganos & Pierce, 2019, para. 3) |
| What stakeholders were identified in the evaluation of the program or policy? Who would benefit most from the results and reporting of the program or policy evaluation? Be specific and provide examples. | The stakeholders that were identified in the evaluation of this program were all Florida residents and the State of Florida itself. As previously mentioned, the state is saving billions of dollars on healthcare annually, and Floridas youth and adult population are using tobacco less than ever (TFF a.) I believe that the TFF program itself benefits most from its evaluation; it shows how effective and necessary it is. The people of Florida benefit most from the results, as it has been so highly successful. |
| Did the program or policy meet the original intent and objectives? Why or why not? | The program has partially met its original intent, with hundreds of thousands of Floridians successfully quitting tobacco use and helping to drastically decrease the number of school-aged children that start using tobacco products (TFF a.). There are still many Floridians who engage in the use of tobacco products, and 28,600 adults in Florida die as a result of smoking annually (Florida Department of Health b. [FL DOH b.], n.d.). |
| Would you recommend implementing this program or policy in your place of work? Why or why not? | I would recommend the implementation of this policy at work as it is modeled after the CDC’s best practice guidelines for a successful smoking cessation program and has had measurable success (TFF a.). The county (Citrus) in which I work has a higher than average amount of tobacco users; this is attributed to several factors, it’s a rural community, cigarettes in Citrus County are the 3rd cheapest in the State, and smokeless tobacco promotional sales are more likely in Citrus County than anywhere else in the state (Florida Health Citrus County, n.d.). Because of these facts, this program at the hospital where I work could be helpful. |
| Identify at least two ways that you, as a nurse advocate, could become involved in evaluating a program or policy after one year of implementation. | There are several ways that I could become involved in evaluating a program or a policy after its implementation. One way is to be involved in a study that looks at the efficacy of the policy or program; another way is to write an evaluation report. |
| General Notes/Comments | It’s interesting to learn that as successful as this program is and that the residents of Florida are fortunate that this program exists, it could be better. Only a portion of the settlement money received from the tobacco companies is used for the TFF program, 15 percent, and its operating cost is only at a third of what the CDC recommends (Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida, 2018). With the amount of tobacco-related healthcare costs to the state, 8.64 billion dollars a year (Truth Initiative, 2019), it’s is not readily apparent to me why the state wouldn’t choose to increase resources to further the success of this program. |
References
Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida. (2018). The state of tobacco control in Florida. Retrieved from http://tobaccofreeflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-State-of-Tobacco-Control-in-Florida-2018.pdf
Buckley, J. (2017, August 15). Tobacco free Florida – How Florida became the best state at quitting. Vape Magazine. Retrieved from https://vapingdaily.com/blog/tobacco-free-florida/
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Behavioral risk factor surveillance system. Retrieved July 30, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/brfss.htm
Florida Department of Health b. (n.d.). Tobacco free Florida. Retrieved July 31, 2019, from http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/prevention/tobacco-free-florida/index.htm
Florida Department of Health. (n.d.). Florida youth tobacco survey (FYTS). Retrieved July 30, 2019, from http://www.floridahealth.gov/statistics-and-data/survey-data/florida-youth-survey/florida-youth-tobacco-survey/index.html
Florida Health Citrus County. (n.d.). Tobacco Free Florida. Retrieved July 31, 2019, from http://citrus.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/community-health-planning-and-statistics/tobacco/index.html
Ganos, E., & Pierce, M. (2019, February 11). The unintended consequences of smoke-free public housing. Governing the States and Localities. Retrieved from https://www.governing.com/gov-institute/voices/col-smoke-free-public-housing-avoiding-evictions.html
Meier, B. (1997, August 26). Cigarette makers agree to settle Florida lawsuit. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/26/us/cigarette-makers-agree-to-settle-florida-lawsuit.html
Rath, A. (Host). (2013, October 13). 15 years later, where did all the cigarette money go? [Radio series episode]. : NPR West.
Tobacco Free Florida a. (n.d.). About tobacco free Florida. Retrieved from http://tobaccofreeflorida.com/about-us/
Tobacco Free Florida b. (n.d.). Smokefree housing. Retrieved July 31, 2019, from http://tobaccofreeflorida.com/current-issues/smokefree-housing/
Truth Initiative. (2019). Tobacco use in Florida 2019. Retrieved from https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/smoking-region/tobacco-use-florida-2019
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