NOSM University and Lakehead University researcher and joint faculty member, Dr. Patricia Smith, is looking for ways to expand access to smoking cessation interventions in Northern Ontario.
The project has received $302,000 in funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada. First Response Mental Health will be partnering on the grant with matched in-kind funding and a customized version of their PeerConnect proactive peer support management app.
Smoking is the single-most preventable cause of premature death and disease in Canada, according to the group. It causes more than 40 diseases and serious health outcomes and is the leading cause of lung cancer.
“There are subgroups of the population that have disproportionately high rates of smoking, which puts them at increased risk for serious health conditions,” said Smith in the news release.
A high proportion of people under 45 years smoke, especially males.
"Smoking is also higher among those with less than high school education, people in the lowest income groups, members of LGBTQI2S+ communities, Indigenous peoples, people with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and people in rural and remote settings," reads the release.
Research shows that smoking cessation programs offering at least eight sessions and focusing on behaviour change strategies are more effective at helping people quit, compared to trying to quit on one’s own, brief interventions, or smoking cessation medications.
However, “few people use behavioural programs, often because there is no access to programs or the services do not meet people’s needs,” said Smith. “This project will explore what people’s needs are and what services exist to match those needs.”
Canada's Tobacco Strategy, recognizes smoking as a key modifiable risk factor for chronic disease and aims to reduce tobacco use to five per cent by the year 2035.