236875 Influences of Financial Resources on System-Level Support of Smoking Cessation in Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Jessie Barnett, MPH , Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, Project Merits III, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Christina Proctor, MPH , Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, Project Merits III, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Jessica L. Muilenburg, PhD , Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Keriann M. Conway, MPH , Project Merits III, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Lillian Eby, PhD , Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Michael Motley, BA , Department of Health Promotion and Behavior- Project Merits III, The University of Georgia, Athens
Robert Coffman, BA , Department of Health Promotion and Behavior- Project Merits III, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Sameer Vashisht , Department of Health Promotion and Behavior- Project Merits III, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA
A perceived lack of financial resources in substance abuse treatment programs is strongly linked with the absence or very limited existence of system-level support for smoking cessation. In-depth telephone interviews were used to collect data from 226 program administrators at substance abuse treatment centers across the United States. The treatment centers were randomly selected from the SAMHSA database. Nearly 90% of program administrators reported that no or very limited financial resources exist within their treatment programs to support smoking cessation. These programs are less likely to: provide evidence-based treatments for smoking cessation as services, provide counselor training on or resources for smoking cessation treatments, and provide clinical supervision on smoking cessation treatments (p=0.001). The percentage of programs with no/very limited funding that lack specific tenants of system-level support for smoking cessation is very high. For example, of the programs lacking dedicated staff to provide smoking cessation, 93.4% have no/very limited financial resources for smoking cessation. Additionally, of the programs that do not discourage clinical staff from smoking, 89.8% have no/very limited financial resources for smoking cessation. This study shows that financial resource availability for smoking cessation and the existence of system-level support for smoking cessation are strongly linked. It is important to continue investigating this topic because allocation of resources to smoking cessation programs may increase treatment of this addiction in patients being treated for other substance addictions.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Administration, management, leadership
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Program planning
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
1) Describe the importance of perceived funding as it relates to actual presence of system-level support for smoking cessation. 2) Discuss potential ways to address ways to promote system-level support that do not involve such heavy financial additions (because increased funding is not always feasible).

Keywords: Smoking Cessation, Substance Abuse Treatment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be an abstract author because I am heavily involved in conducting the Project MERITS III research this data is from.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.

See more of: Across the Spectrum of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use
See more of: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs