Madera County Invites Residents to Online Focus Groups on Tobacco Control
The county's public health department is gathering resident views through virtual sessions as it plans its 2027 to 2030 tobacco control grant cycle.
By Naledi Dlamini ·
The Madera County Department of Public Health is asking residents to help shape its approach to tobacco control as it prepares for its next grant cycle, which will run from 2027 to 2030.
The department's Tobacco Control and Education Program is holding a series of online "Communities of Excellence" focus groups. Officials say the sessions are meant to collect residents' views on tobacco-related issues in the county and to pinpoint areas the program should tackle.
"Community input really helps the program understand residents' concerns, experiences, and priorities that we should be focusing on," said Jacqueline Guerrero, health education coordinator with the department.
The sessions are open to adult Madera County residents and take place virtually over Zoom. Participation costs nothing, and attendees receive a $25 gift card. "It is free of charge. We will actually be incentivizing individuals so that they can go ahead and join us with a $25 gift card," Guerrero said.
Participants will be invited to describe what they have observed and what worries them about tobacco use in their community. Guerrero said the aim is to learn "what are their priorities, what they are seeing in the community, what they would like addressed," so the program can understand where residents want attention focused.
The effort draws on statewide figures from the 2022-23 California Health Interview Survey, cited by the California Department of Health. That survey found that more than 11% of adults across the state reported using tobacco products, with both cigarette use and vaping reported at rates above 5%.
Other studies indicate that young people and adults in rural and agricultural areas, including parts of Central California, use tobacco at higher rates than people living in non-rural areas.
The local program says its goal is a healthier community through reduced tobacco use and exposure.
Adult residents who want to take part can register online. The next session is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Source: ABC30 Action News