Breathing Space

Quit Smoking Project for Women 2007 - 2008

The Tobacco Control and Social Equity Strategy is a five year initiative of The Cancer Council of NSW that aims to work with community service organisations to reduce smoking related harm among disadvantaged groups in NSW.

WESDARC received funding from this initiative to develop and deliver a quit smoking project that aims to reduce the prevalence of cigarette smoking among women, with a special emphasis on lower-income women of child bearing age among whom smoking is prevalent.

There will be three major components to the project. The first stage will be to develop and deliver a six week smoking cessation program for women. The program will incorporate appropriate referral pathways, where needed, two weeks of subsidised Nicotine replacement therapy and a pre and post evaluation with a three month follow-up interview and a relapse prevention workbook.

The second component of the project will include training, dissemination and support of the smoking cessation program kit for use by other organisations wishing to run the program with their client groups

Lastly, to ensure sustainability, the program will become one of WESDARC’s core training and education programs offered to the community.

The program will be based within a comprehensive group approach using adult learning principles. It will be designed to be sensitive to the needs and perspectives of the above mentioned target group. The program will address smoking in the context of women’s lives and facilitate women gaining a sense of efficacy, positive self esteem, and control over their health. It will provide ways for women to tell their stories, express their needs, support each other and be actively involved in their quit smoking journey. As well as addressing smoking reduction and cessation, the program will also cover broader harm reduction approaches e.g. protecting others from the effects of second hand smoke, improving nutrition, stress management, increasing physical activity and nicotine replacement therapy.

Click here to download the Breathing Space Brochure