Health promotion through smoking prevention and cessation—the need for a selective research agenda

Abstract There is concern that health promotion researchers are being influenced by funding concerns rather than applying strictscientific criteria to their choice of studies. While these researchers should only conduct research and promote public health programs which are well-justified, legitimate controversy nevertheless exists about the need for and speed with whichsome health promotion interventions are disseminated, such as those aimed at dietary change or stress reduction. One area about which no controversy should exist, however, concerns interventions promoting the prevention and cessation of tobaccouse. A National Cancer Institute research model is presented and an argument made for immediate, widespread dissemination of many existing tobacco use interventions, as long as proper evaluative methodology is employed. Health promotion researchers can use this model to make objective decisions in selecting research themes. In this way, health promotion can take advantage of the sound scientific basis of tobacco studies and participate more fully in efforts to reduce tobacco use prevalence on a broad scale.