Combating Smoking Disparities among Those With and Without Disabilities: Using Data to Drive Policy Change

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the nation, accounting for half a million deaths yearly.  Smoking is of particular concern among individuals with disabilities in Ohio.  The Ohio Disability and Health Program’s (ODHP) Needs Assessment, including Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2011 data, showed that 39% of individuals with disabilities smoke versus 22% of those without disabilities, which is the greatest smoking disparity in the country.  Those findings encouraged ODHP to collaborate with the state-based Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program to reach individuals with disabilities and encourage their utilization of the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line, which provides users over-the-phone support to quit smoking.  ODHP presented data to the Tobacco Program, initiated a discussion about improving outreach to the disability community and tracking utilization of the Quit Line by this population.  The Quit Line added a disability screener question to the intake form to track disability as a demographic and measure the change in utilization of the service by the disability population.  Additionally, ODHP is collaborating with the Tobacco Program to create and disseminate promotional materials for the Quit Line targeted at individuals with disabilities. The Tobacco Program is also working towards making their website accessible.  In conclusion, utilizing data to demonstrate a need led to changes in policies and procedures of the Tobacco Program which will help ensure that people with disabilities receive accessible smoking cessation materials, have access to smoking cessation tools and that utilization by this population is tracked so that continuous improvements can be made.