title: Building Tobacco Cessation Capacity in Homeless Shelters: A Pilot Study.
abstract: Tobacco use is common among homeless adults, yet few homeless shelters offer tobacco dependence treatment. Using a pre-intervention and post-intervention study design, we pilot tested the feasibility of a capacity building intervention that consisted of a 3.5-h training for shelter staff to provide cessation counseling. Staff (n = 12) and homeless clients (n = 46) completed questionnaires at pre-intervention, post-intervention (6 weeks), and at 12-weeks follow-up. Staff completed a questionnaire on tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes toward and practices around treating tobacco dependence, and self-efficacy in providing cessation counseling (score range 1-5). Clients completed a questionnaire on tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes toward tobacco dependence, and receipt of tobacco-related services from the program (score range 1-5). We used repeated measures linear regression analysis to examine change in scores over time. From pre-intervention to post-intervention, staff knowledge (β coefficient 0.4, 95 % CI 0.1-0.8) and efficacy (β coefficient 0.4, 95 % CI 0.2-0.7) in treating tobacco dependence increased. Client receipt of tobacco-related program services increased significantly from post-intervention to follow-up (β coefficient 0.3, 95 % CI 0.1-0.5). A brief capacity building intervention has the potential to increase tobacco-related interventions among clients in homeless shelters.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Avenue, UCSF Box 1364, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA. Maya.Vijayaraghavan@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vijayaraghavan
authors.affiliation: Phillip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guydish
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pierce
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D057191:Capacity Building; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D020340:Tobacco Use Cessation; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control
keywords: Capacity building; Homeless adults; Homeless shelters; Tobacco dependence