Tobacco Cessation in Low Income Communities:

1
Tobacco Cessation in Low Income Communities
Partnership with The Salvation Army Joseph D.
Mole, MSW, The Salvation Army, USA Central
Territory Janet Porter, MPH Kerry Brattrud, BA,
Health Education Council
Is tobacco use a problem/concern in your
Salvation Army facility, community, organization,
or home?
Abstract
Summary


Problem/Objective Individuals in substance abuse
treatment programs are over-represented in the
smoking population. Approximately 80 of
substance abusers are smokers compared to 23 of
the general population and over 50 of recovering
alcoholics and addicts will die from tobacco
related diseases. Methods The Salvation Army,
in conjunction with the National Network on
Tobacco Prevention and Poverty, (a program of the
Health Education Council) convened and collected
data from Salvation Army alcohol and drug
rehabilitation and treatment facility personnel
in the USA Central Territory to assess the
readiness of facilities to integrate smoking
cessation into existing Salvation Army drug and
alcohol rehabilitation and treatment programs.
The readiness of facility administrators, case
workers and counselors to adopt facility-wide
policies prohibiting tobacco use among
participants and staff was also assessed along
with their beliefs about tobacco cessation and
recovery success. Results Results indicated
that partnerships with agencies that have
historically provided services to the
impoverished present a unique opportunity to
reduce the burden of tobacco use in low income
communities. In addition, alternative approaches
to tobacco cessation must be developed that are
specific to alcohol and drug treatment
facilities, especially those that have under
represented partners in tobacco prevention and
cessation. Conclusions Cessation services in
The Salvation Army and similar treatment
facilities require both a clinical and
faith-based approach to cessation. Further,
continued education on the myths associated with
addressing tobacco use in recovery continues to
be a need. Tobacco cessation should be
integrated as part of a comprehensive approach to
addressing substance abuse addictions.
Plan
Form Partnership between The Salvation Army and
National Network on Tobacco Prevention and
Poverty.
Provide Tobacco Education for The Salvation Army
Alcohol and Drug Treatment Staff.
Does your Salvation Army unit/center offer
programs to help people stop smoking or using
tobacco?
Assess Facility Interest/Readiness to Adopt
Tobacco Policies and Integrate Cessation.
Lessons Learned
Provide Ongoing Tobacco Policy and Cessation
Support and Training.

• Involve Non Traditional Partners in Tobacco
  Control To address nicotine addiction in low
  income populations, new partners need to be
  educated and involved in tobacco control efforts.
  Agencies providing services in low income
  communities are important allies in reducing
  tobacco use prevalence rates in this population
  even though they are not experts in tobacco
  control.
• Provide Ongoing Education There is still a
  tremendous need to educate Alcohol and Drug
  Treatment programs on the health consequences of
  nicotine addiction and assist them with
  strategies to develop program policies and
  cessation components into their treatment
  programs.
• Link Experts Programs addressing alcohol and
  drug addiction can become resources to each
  other. Some facilities are beginning to address
  nicotine addiction in recovery and can be a
  resource for those who are taking the initial
  steps to begin this process.

• Implementation
• Approximately 40 Salvation Army Adult
  Rehabilitation Center personnel, officers, and
  program directors received education.
• Education was delivered in three, separate, one
  and a half hour workshops
• Session One provided an introduction to
  nicotine addiction along with a discussion of
  health implications of alcohol and tobacco use in
  low-income populations.
• Session Two addressed models of effective
  integration of nicotine addiction in recovery
  programs and the components of a comprehensive
  tobacco use policy.
• Session Three provided an example of how to use
  local resources for cessation programs and
  approaches.

Background

• The smoking rate of clients who currently
  participate in alcohol and drug recovery at
  Salvation Army sites are approximately 75 to 80.
• Among Salvation Army sites surveyed, tobacco
  addiction is not universally considered as
  serious nor are they treated as aggressively as
  addictions to other drugs such as cocaine,
  heroin, or alcohol.
• The National Network on Tobacco Prevention and
  Poverty (NNTPP) partnered with The Salvation Army
  to develop a training workshop on tobacco
  prevention and cessation to treatment and
  rehabilitation personnel, officers, and program
  directors.

The National Network on Tobacco Prevention and
Poverty is supported by Cooperative Grant
Agreement 919140 from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention