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Abstract #152035

DeAnn C. Cromp, MPHc and Roger Valdez. Tobacco Prevention Program, Public Health - Seattle & King County, 999 Third Ave, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98104, 408-396-5522, dcromp@u.washington.edu

As the prevalence of tobacco use drops in King County, as in the rest of the country, the disparity between who smokes and who does not is becoming more pronounced. The most socially and economically disadvantaged subpopulations in King County are more likely to smoke and less likely to receive assistance in quitting. The Tobacco Prevention Program (TPP) of Public Health - Seattle & King County has strategically partnered with homeless service centers and transitional housing programs to create opportunities for homeless people to improve their overall health by reducing tobacco use. In order to asses the feasibility of integrating cessation treatment into systems already meeting high needs of homeless client populations, the TPP conducted a process evaluation of a pilot study of implementing brief tobacco interventions within services at a partnering homeless service agency. The pilot study focused on training staff members to operationalize BTIS with homeless clients, document NRT distribution of nicotine patches provided at no cost by the PH department, and providing ongoing support to impact the pervasive culture of smoking characteristic of the environment. Lessons learned from this partnership and ways to evaluate it will be the focus of this poster presentation.

Learning Objectives:

• -- Understand relevant factors contributing to the high prevalence of smoking among the homeless population, the consequential disproportionate burden of related morbidity and mortality, and implications for treatment/cessation
• -- Recognize providing tobacco cessation services as a social justice issue
• -- Discuss the lessons learned by a local public health department’s effort to integrate tobacco cessation into homeless service settings through conducting a process evaluation of a pilot study of staff-driven implementation of BTIS (Brief Tobacco Intervention Skills) at a partnering agency in Seattle, WA
• -- Asses the use of qualitative data from staff members and clients at a homeless service agency about their experiences with tobacco interventions as a result of the program partnership
• -- Describe the importance of evaluating tobacco control efforts and discuss ways to identify and measure key domains of interest
• -- Identify key implications about addressing high prevalence of tobacco use among special populations, such as those who experience homelessness

Keywords: Tobacco Control, Homeless

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.