Northern researcher promotes better ways to help people quit smoking
A habit that is the top cause of preventable premature death in Canada is more common in northern Ontario than in the rest of the province, says researcher Dr. Patricia Smith.
Yet Smith said most programs to help people quit smoking only offer basic counselling and nicotine therapies, which she said tend not to be effective.
"When we say 'stop smoking' ... all we're doing is giving people advice and not helping them set the stage," said Smith.
"You really need what we call intensive programs -- programs that have at least eight sessions with them."
Smith said the reason they are rare is because they are expensive to deliver.
That's why she's working with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine to figure out how to introduce it to communities across the country, with the help of just more than $300,000 from the federal Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund.
It's especially needed in northern and rural Ontario, she said, where twice the number of people under age 45 smoke, compared with the rest of Ontario.
Smith said up to 15 per cent of smokers will find brief counselling and nicotine gum sufficient help to quit.
However, her research piloting a smoking cessation intervention program in northwestern Ontario claims success in some areas:
• Up to 35 per cent success rate for the general population
• Around 50 per cent for Indigenous communities
• Around 70 per cent of patients with heart disease
Smith's research also poses that incorporating smoking cessation intervention into existing substance use disorder treatment programs would prove beneficial as well, since around 80 per cent people with substance use or mental health issues also smoke tobacco.
Centralizing smoking intervention programs at one local health agency or hospital in each community is one way Smith is proposing they could be rolled out in a sustainable way.
Smith is also working with First Response Mental Health to develop a customized version of its mobile mental health app, PeerConnect, as a possible avenue to deliver information and peer support for smokers, as well as connect people to services in their area.
While communities like Timmins do have access to some smoking cessation programs, one local woman said quitting has been a challenge and has been looking for an effective solution.
"Unfortunately, it isn't going so well, as I have started (smoking) again but would really like to quit for good," said Karen Bradbury in a Facebook message.
"I just find that there is no support for people quitting smoking in Timmins."
Smith's project is focusing primarily on helping younger people, Indigenous and rural populations and the 2SLGBTQ+ community, since smoking is most prevalent in those groups.
Smith also intends to consult with smokers who've tried to quit to learn about the challenges they've faced.
"What do they see as their concerns, their barriers? Why do they smoke? Why is it higher among certain groups? We're going to find all of that out," Smith said.
The federal government has a goal of reducing tobacco smoking to five per cent of Canadians by 2035.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.