The paper titled, “‘Money up in smoke’: The financial benefits of smoking cessation may be more motivating to people who are homeless than potential health gains,” rightly pointed out that smoking among disadvantaged groups such as people who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation, increases the likelihood of poor health outcomes and financial disadvantages.
The survey conducted by the research team looked into the smoking and quit attempt history of the participants, perceptions about smoking cessation and cessation tools. The researchers also inquired about the levels of awareness of the Intensive Quit Support program, a free local government-funded smoking cessation initiative.
Many participants were interested in a campaign promoting the financial savings of quitting smoking
The researchers found that participants reported a high level of interest in e-cigarettes as a cessation aid. On the other hand, there was a low level of awareness but moderate level of interest in the Intensive Quit Support program.
The participants reported spending a high proportion of their income on cigarettes, and while the most commonly reported perceived benefit of smoking cessation was improved health, more participants (twice as many) were interested in a campaign promoting the financial savings of quitting, rather than the health benefits. To this effect concluded the researchers, more emphasis needs to be put on the financial gains of quitting cigarettes in most campaigns.
Read Further: NIH
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