Assessment of Action Plans as a Guide for Equity-Focused Coalition Work

Collaborative capacity within coalitions is required to promote healthy communities and create systemic change. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of three Tobacco Prevention and Control Coalitions' action plans for their likely ability to address health equity through tobacco cessation efforts. To do this, the Butterfoss State Plan Index was adapted for relevance to community-oriented coalitions, with a focus on health disparities and tobacco control. This study compares three tobacco control coalitions in Texas to quantify their efforts on addressing health disparities through a standardized measurement process. The results of this assessment indicate that there are gaps in existing coalition assessment tools, and action plan norms and requirements, specifically as it pertains to addressing health disparities in a systematic way. Through a systematic analysis of coalition action plans and supporting documents, it is clear that there is a need for more standard inclusion of disparities-focused work within action plans. Community health researchers, coalition members, and coalition funders should consider action plans to be living, iterative documents that are subject to adjustments. Systems-thinking perspective should be used to develop action plans adapted to environmental, community, policy, and other changes. Lessons learned from this study can provide an example of how to incorporate strategies for reducing health disparities within coalition action planning.