Program

Physician Assistant M.S.

Year Approved

2019

First Advisor

Naser, Lisa

Abstract

The health consequences of smoking disproportionately impact the homeless population. The homeless population has a higher rate of smoking (70%) than the general population (21%) and has a 5-fold decrease in smoking cessation success rates (Baggett & Rigotti, 2010). However, the percentage of homeless smokers who wish to quite is comparable with non-homeless populations (84% to 82% respectively) (Baggett, Lebrun-Harris, & Rigotti, 2013). The purpose of this community service project was to alleviate some of the smoking cessation barriers that homeless populations face, allowing them to pursue better health and greater independence. By partnering with the homeless shelter, Union Gospel Mission (UGM), we aimed to: inform the shelter residents of accessible and free nicotine replacement therapies, host educational sessions concerning the consequences of smoking and benefits of smoking cessation, and create a lasting partnership between smoking cessation support group, Nicotine Anonymous (NicA). The partnership between UGM and NicA is limited because of ideological differences between the organizations. On the other hand, the educational sessions were quite successful, educating homeless residents about smoking and cessation, encouraging them to pursue smoking cessation through step-by-step methods and free nicotine replacement therapy, and providing smoking cessation brochures for UGM and its residents.

Degree Name

Masters of Science in Physician Assistant

Document Type

Masterʼs thesis

Terms of Use and License Information

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

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