Tobacco Cessation
Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Unfortunately, rates of tobacco use are relatively high among low-income adults, many of whom may also experience inadequate access to affordable prevention and cessation services. The high prevalence of smoking in low-income families has a devastating impact on the health of the adult members of the families and on their children through exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is a known cause of low birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, middle ear infection, and other diseases. These ailments, attributable to children’s exposure to secondhand smoke, can also translate into missed days of school and lower educational achievement. Additionally, the high cost of tobacco products depletes families’ economic resources, and contributes to increased family and societal health care costs.
With technical support and guidance from American Legacy Foundation, Champlain Valley Head Start and other Head Start programs are participating in the Head Start Tobacco Cessation Initiative. The Head Start Tobacco Cessation Initiative allows Head Start and public health organizations to achieve their shared objectives of improving health outcomes for Head Start children and families by reducing household tobacco use.
The three key elements of the Initiative are as follows:
- Staff training: Head Start staff members receive training in:
- Basics of tobacco addiction and cessation;
- Brief tobacco intervention skills;
- Motivational Interviewing (a collaborative, client-centered approach to exploring and resolving ambivalence, and to eliciting and strengthening motivation to make positive changes in one’s life); and
- Understanding how to access local and state tobacco cessation services for successful referrals.
- Systems change: Head Start forms, such as Family Needs Assessments, are modified to better identify, refer, track and support family members who are tobacco users.
- Partnership development: Head Start programs develop partnerships with local and state cessation providers, such as State Health Departments, Tobacco Control Programs, and Quitlines, to support family members throughout the referral and quit process.
By providing tobacco cessation information, referral and support, Champlain Valley Head Start is working to improve the health of the families we serve, to protect children from the long-term, harmful effects of secondhand smoke, and to support children and families for health and success in school and throughout their lives. Please view a Champlain Valley Head Start collaborative presentation on tobacco cessation below.
