Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Student-Run Clinic on Reducing Cigarette Smoking in a Homeless Population

Authors

Briana Taormina, University of Kentucky, College of MedicineFollow
Bryson Jones, University of Kentucky, College of MedicineFollow
Kiah Gledhill MD, University of South Alabama, Department of SurgeryFollow
Audrey Darville PhD, APRN, CPAHA-TT, University of Kentucky, College of NursingFollow

Abstract

Objective

Cigarette smoking remains a major health crisis in the United States, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of tobacco users each year. Access to evidence-based smoking cessation remains a challenge for many people that use tobacco products. Prior research demonstrates that the homeless population is exceedingly vulnerable to cigarette smoking and faces more barriers to quitting than their domiciled counterparts. This study explores the effectiveness of a free Smoking Cessation Clinic (SCC) within a homeless shelter for women and children, run by a nurse practitioner and a clinical nurse specialist trained as Tobacco Treatment Specialists, along with two medical students. The SCC hosts a tobacco cessation group weekly that provides motivational counseling and free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches and/or lozenges to program participants.

Methods

A retrospective chart review of 290 previously active participants in the SCC was conducted to evaluate the program's effectiveness. These records were manually de-identified and relevant data was entered into a REDcap online database. Data from participants included age, type(s) of tobacco products used, number of sessions attended, number of cigarettes smoked per week (CPW) at the initial and final visits, initial and final cessation importance and confidence (10-point Likert scale), and type and dosage of nicotine replacement provided. A paired t-test and ANOVA were used for analysis.

Results

Through our analysis, we determined that 72.8% of our participants reduced their tobacco consumption by at least half at their final visit. Most participants in our study opted to use either nicotine patches alone or in combination with nicotine lozenges, and that the choice of NRT did not affect tobacco reduction outcomes.

Conclusion

Overall, a combination of NRT and engagement in motivational counseling had an impact on reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per week in a population of homeless women.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.13023/eMRS.2024

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Taormina, Briana; Jones, Bryson; Gledhill, Kiah MD; and Darville, Audrey PhD, APRN, CPAHA-TT (2024) "Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Student-Run Clinic on Reducing Cigarette Smoking in a Homeless Population," ePublications of Emerging Medical Research Scholars: Vol. 2, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13023/eMRS.2024
Available at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/emrs/vol2/iss1/1