Abstract
Entering the 20th century, there has been an increased emphasis on health disparity issues. Education and community-based programs have been developed as a cost-efficient way to address community issues, but health disparities is still a lingering problem. Better analysis, combined with evidence-based program development, can do much to address the issue of health disparities. In this study I use quantitative and qualitative information to establish if a relationship exists between the development of social capital within a program and the community it serves and success on reaching program objectives. Social capital is an asset of networks, norms, and trust used to coordinate efforts between parties. Traditionally, there has been mistrust between certain populations and education and research institutions. Creating and developing social capital between education and community-based programs and the community members it serves is an important factor in improving programming. The Nevada Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program’s efforts did result in lowering tobacco use in the region, but not in a significant manner for some of the groups in the selected disparity population. This study showed that the Institutional Analysis and Development framework can highlight spots for improvement of a developing education and community-based programs.