Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS) program awarded a third cohort of centers to seven institutions in 2023. AppalTRuST is a partnership with the University of Kentucky and PIRE Louisville.
Substantial gaps remain in Tobacco Regulatory Science (TRS) around understanding the impact of FDA regulations on tobacco use attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors across diverse rural populations, particularly in the Appalachian region. The Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory Science Team (AppalTRuST) aims to fill this gap through research on tobacco product use in rural Appalachia, examining variation in outcomes based on levels of rurality, and using findings to inform and evaluate potential future FDA regulation and policy. In collaboration with the University of Kentucky, PIRE will co-lead the Community Outreach and Participant Engagement Core, developing and implementing a culturally tailored community-engaged outreach campaign and multi-tiered recruitment and retention strategies to develop the AppalTRuST Cohort of 2,000 adults (ages 18+) in Appalachian Kentucky that will inform the impact of tobacco regulations on rural tobacco use patterns.
