Improving access to stop smoking support for people with mental health problems

Abstract

The physical health inequalities experienced by people with severe mental health problems are now well recognised. Lifestyle factors, in particular high rates of smoking, have been identified as a major contributor to the raised mortality and morbidity in this population. A programme was developed in West Surrey to address smoking cessation support needs in people with mental health problems. Mental health workers were trained to deliver stop smoking support and a pilot programme of oneto-one stop smoking support was established. An evaluation was conducted using semi-structured interviews to explore clients' experiences of receiving the one-to-one suppor t. Service users positively evaluated the support they had received: in particular, the needs-led, flexible approach.The study provides further insights into the views and experiences of people with mental health problems undertaking a smoking cessation programme.

Incentives and barriers to lifestyle interventions for people with severe mental illness: a narrative synthesis of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies

“…Training for leisure facilities staff was suggested as a possible route to overcome this issue. Qualitative interviews with seven mental health service users who received one‐to‐one smoking cessation support also highlighted the personal characteristics of the advisor, a positive approach, good listening skills and knowledge about mental health issues were typical of advisors who were able to encourage individuals to engage with the intervention (Edmonds & Bremner 2007). In addition, individually tailored interventions are also reported to encourage engagement with an intervention (Fogarty & Happell 2005).…”

“…Participants valued a group intervention with motivational leadership according to the focus group study by McDevitt et al (2006). However, in a qualitative study by Edmonds and Bremner (2007) on oneto-one support for smoking cessation in people with mental health problems, group support was less favoured by mental health professionals because: groups were thought to be overused in mental health services; support is not individualized; it would be difficult to maintain focus on smoking cessation in a group context; and it would be difficult to find sufficient numbers to form a group in one mental health setting. However, where there was support for group-based smoking cessation intervention it was suggested that it should be specifically for mental health service users.…”

An ethnographic study of the incentives and barriers to lifestyle interventions for people with severe mental illness

“…). Some authors suggest that group‐based interventions are overused in mental health care (Edmonds & Bremner ). Our evidence supports the delivery of group‐based health promotion interventions for this clinical group by providing a social context in which the service user can flourish.…”

Supporting people with mental health problems to quit smoking

“…Research with service users suggest that over half of those who smoke would like to quit, but many do not receive support to access stop smoking services. In West Surrey a survey of service users found that 59% of those who smoked had never been advised to quit by a health professional, although 59% actually wanted to quit (Edmonds & Bremner, 2006).…”

“…As this specialised one-to-one support was a new approach to helping people with mental health problems to quit smoking, the programme was evaluated and the findings published (Edmonds & Bremner, 2007).…”