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QUIT’s Smoking and Mental Health Project: An overview of the service user involvement in the development of a free motivational resource
Terri Forward, Smoking & Mental Health Project Co-ordinator, QUIT
Abstract
Cigarette smoking has become increasingly concentrated in the most deprived groups. A clear inverse relationship exists between smoking prevalence and social class. People with mental health problems are among some of the most socially excluded and economically deprived members of the population.
QUIT in partnership with The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health and Cancer Research UK have developed the Smoking and Mental Health project. An exciting new initiative providing specialist and tailor made stop smoking support to smokers with enduring mental health problems through proactive telephone counselling. It was important that service users were pro-actively involved in the development of the resource. This provided a new and exciting element to the project and has resulted in a brand new stop smoking resource, developed for and by smokers with enduring mental health problems.
A main focus of the project was to develop a stop smoking resource for smokers with enduring mental health problems that include tailor made and individual stop smoking plans that compliment the pro-active telephone helpline counselling. Initially the content was written using the advice and guidance of smoking cessation and mental health experts, and 2 mock versions developed using variations in colour, design and imagery.
During the development stage of the project 3 focus groups were run with outpatient service users in order to gain their views and opinions. This enabled service users to develop and shape the resource.
During the life of the pilot project ‘good news’ and ‘success stories’ will also be gathered.
Summary reports were prepared for each focus group and the results were collated in order to progress the final draft of the stop smoking resource.
As the project progresses, ongoing success stories will be incorporated to provide longer term motivation and support for smokers with mental health problems.
Biography
Terri Forward
QUIT
211 Old Street
London
EC1V 9NR
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