Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 Jan 1;26(1):46-53. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntad137.
Smoking prevalence is high among US adults with food insecurity. This study examined how food assistance settings, namely food pantries, can serve as a community-based venue to reach food insecure adults who smoke for smoking cessation.
Partnering with a local hunger relief organization, we conducted surveys and focus groups of food pantry clients in Greater Cleveland, Ohio, followed by food pantry-based outreach events to connect people who smoke to the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line.
The survey included 132 participants who visited a food pantry (M age = 47; 74% women; 39% Black/African American), of whom 35% were using tobacco and 31% were smoking cigarettes. Among those currently smoking (M cigarettes/day = 9), 76% intended to quit in the next 6 months, and 82% had not used nor heard of the quitline. Informed by focus group themes, we conducted a total of 22 outreach events at four pantries. Among those interested in smoking cessation resources from the outreach events (n = 54), 78% were able to be subsequently contacted. Of them, 74% provided consent for quitline referral. The remainder either declined or were unable to participate.
While it was feasible to leverage food pantries for smoking cessation outreach, the overall reach was low. Despite high interest in quitting, there was limited effectiveness of outreach efforts without adaptations to each pantry setting and in recognition of the immediate food needs and with challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. There remains a critical need to address high rates of smoking among populations experiencing food insecurity.
Tobacco cessation services are increasingly recognizing the need to address food insecurity and other social needs that commonly occur in populations who use tobacco at higher rates. This research underscores both the value and the challenges related to leveraging food pantries as a community-based venue for smoking cessation outreach. In addition to improvements in outreach models, long-term investments in structural interventions are also needed to address underlying poverty and socioeconomic disadvantage that ultimately drive disparities in smoking and in food insecurity.
美国成年人中存在较高的食物不安全和吸烟率。本研究旨在探讨食品援助场所（如食品发放处）如何成为一个以社区为基础的场所，以帮助那些有食物不安全问题的成年人戒烟。
我们与当地一家饥饿救济组织合作，对俄亥俄州克利夫兰市的食品发放处客户进行了调查和焦点小组讨论，随后在食品发放处开展了外联活动，将吸烟者与俄亥俄州戒烟热线联系起来。
调查对象为访问食品发放处的 132 名参与者（M 年龄=47；74%为女性；39%为黑人/非裔美国人），其中 35%的人正在使用烟草，31%的人吸烟。在目前吸烟的人群中（M 每天吸烟量=9），76%的人计划在未来 6 个月内戒烟，82%的人从未使用过或听说过戒烟热线。根据焦点小组的主题，我们在四家食品发放处共开展了 22 次外联活动。在对这些活动中的戒烟资源感兴趣的人中（n=54），有 78%的人可以进一步联系到。其中，74%的人同意转介至戒烟热线。其余的人则拒绝或无法参与。
虽然利用食品发放处开展戒烟外展活动是可行的，但总体覆盖面仍然较低。尽管人们有很高的戒烟意愿，但如果不针对每个发放处的情况进行调整，不考虑到当前的食物需求，以及不应对与 COVID-19 大流行相关的挑战，外展工作的效果将非常有限。仍然迫切需要解决食物不安全人群中吸烟率较高的问题。
越来越多的烟草戒断服务机构认识到需要解决与食物不安全和其他常见于高吸烟率人群的社会需求相关的问题。本研究强调了利用食品发放处作为戒烟外展的社区场所的价值和挑战。除了改进外展模式外，还需要对结构性干预措施进行长期投资，以解决导致吸烟和食物不安全问题的根本贫困和社会经济劣势。
