title: Attitudes Toward Smoking Cessation Among Sheltered Homeless Parents.
abstract: The prevalence of smoking among homeless adults is approximately 70 %. Cessation programs designed for family shelters should be a high priority given the dangers cigarette smoke poses to children. However, the unique nature of smoking in the family shelter setting remains unstudied. We aimed to assess attitudes toward smoking cessation, and unique barriers and motivators among homeless parents living in family shelters in Northern California. Six focus groups and one interview were conducted (N = 33, ages 23-54). The focus groups and interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and a representative team performed qualitative theme analysis. Eight males and 25 females participated. The following major themes emerged: (1) Most participants intended to quit eventually, citing concern for their children as their primary motivation. (2) Significant barriers to quitting included the ubiquity of cigarette smoking, its central role in social interactions in the family shelter setting, and its importance as a coping mechanism. (3) Participants expressed interest in quitting "cold turkey" and in e-cigarettes, but were skeptical of the patch and pharmacotherapy. (4) Feelings were mixed regarding whether individual, group or family counseling would be most effective. Homeless parents may be uniquely motivated to quit because of their children, but still face significant shelter-based social and environmental barriers to quitting. Successful cessation programs in family shelters must be designed with the unique motivations and barriers of this population in mind.
authors.affiliation: Stanford Medical School, 291 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. Hollys1@Stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Holly C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Stanford Medical School, 291 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Terrell N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: Stanford Medical School, 291 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Janine S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.affiliation: Stanford Medical School, 291 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.affiliation: Stanford Medical School, 291 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Chamberlain
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D003376:Counseling; D004522:Educational Status; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D044469:Racial Groups; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
keywords: Cigarettes; Family homelessness; Homelessness; Shelter environment; Smoking cessation