Val Mills Smoking Cessation Lead, Bucks Smokefree Support Service, Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust, Aylesbury
Nicki Blyth Deputy Team Lead, Bucks Smokefree Support Service, Aylesbury
Abstract
There is anecdotal evidence that smoking prevalence is high in Gypsy and Traveller communities. Buckinghamshire has a number of permanent traveller sites with an estimated population of 1500 Gypsies and Travellers including 450 children.
Bucks Smokefree Support Service (BSSS) developed a project to raise awareness of the health and social effects of smoking and improve access to the smoking cessation support they offer.
Multi-agency involvement for building trust between BSSS and the community representatives was essential for progressing the project. They were suspicious of motives of official authorities. We gained their trust and developed with them several health promoting events to train some smoking cessation champions within their community, we also developed resources for them to use within their community.
We delivered brief intervention and motivational interviewing training for these communities. The resources we developed were culturally relevant visual resources to support them in their interactions where literacy levels are often lower than average.
Eight women attended the training, including representatives from the Traveller support charity One Voice. Four packs were produced to support these women in their role as a smoking cessation champion for the community. We received excellent feedback and the work is continuing with this community.
Source of funding: This was funded innovation grant from South Central £2,500 and top up sponsor ship from Pfizer £2,000
