Implementation of the North Carolina American Indian Adult Tobacco Survey: A Community-Government-University Collaboration

Commercial tobacco use remains a leading contributor to the cancer burden in the United States and disproportionately affects historically marginalised communities including American Indians. National surveys estimate current cigarette smoking prevalence for American Indian adults is 27 per cent; however, state-level and tribe-specific data are limited. North Carolina is home to seven state-recognised tribes, one federally-recognised tribe and four Urban Indian Organisations with approximately 300 000 residents identifying as American Indian. We conducted a commercial tobacco use survey with and for tribal leaders and communities in North Carolina to assess overall tobacco use among American Indian residents and by tribal affiliation. Next steps include prioritising the dissemination of our results to tribal leaders, community members, state regulators and academic partners. This will guide the development of policy, systems and environmental changes to reduce commercial tobacco use among American Indians. Here, we highlight our community-academic- government collaboration supporting implementation of the North Carolina American Indian Adult Tobacco Survey. Our research team includes members from multiple tribes, universities and state organisations across North Carolina.