DISADVANTAGED WOMEN AND SMOKING

High rates of smoking are found among disadvantaged women, and there i s a demand for cessation interventions specifically targeted to meet t heir needs. This project used a number of information sources to exami ne the factors associated with these women's smoking behaviours and th e potential barriers and supports to cessation. Few of the women-centr ed cessation programs whose representatives were contacted were approp riate for, or available to, disadvantaged women in Canada. Interviews with 386 disadvantaged women revealed that their smoking was intimatel y linked with their situation of poverty, isolation and caregiving; sm oking was a mechanism for coping with the stress of their lives. Agenc ies outside traditional tobacco control organizations, such women's ce ntres, were well positioned to initiate or expand services that suppor t smoking cessation for these women and were trusted by the women who used their services. The findings have implications for programs, rese arch and policy.