Linda Sarna, DNSc, RN, FAAN, (Westwood), professor at the UCLA School of Nursing, was presented with a 2005 Media Award at the 32nd American Academy of Nurses Annual Meeting for her leadership of the Tobacco-Free Nurses Initiative promotional media campaign. The prestigious award recognizes individuals and organizations whose use of the media has increased public awareness of the value of nursing.

Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the national Tobacco-Free Nurses Initiative was the first to promote the role of nurses in tobacco control, and focused on two key objectives: 1) to support nurses in their efforts to end tobacco addiction; and 2) to provide tools for all nurses to help their patients quit smoking.

“Although smoking among nurses has declined, at 15 percent it continues to be higher than among other health professionals,” said Sarna, who was principal investigator for the research initiative. “For example, only 3 percent of physicians smoke. Smoking among nursing students also continues to be higher than among medical students.”

The Tobacco-Free Nurses Initiative offers easy access to an array of resource materials on its Web site, including a pocket guide developed in partnership with the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. All of these tools can be downloaded at no cost to assist health care professionals worldwide in their cessation efforts.

The Tobacco-Free Nurses Initiative’s media campaign was praised for nationally disseminating nursing research findings using trade and public media. Its materials depict specific examples of health-enhancing interactions, and address health disparity issues in a culturally sensitive manner.

Sarna shares the award with Stella Bialous, RN, MScN, Dr PH, president of Tobacco Policy International; Mary Ellen Wewers, Ph.D., MPH, RN, FAAN, Mildred E. Newton Professor of Nursing at Ohio State University; and Erika Sivarajan Froelicher, RN, Ph.D., FAAN, University of California, San Francisco, professor of nursing.