Addressing smoking and health among women living on low income III. Ayr Barnardo's Homelessness Service and Dundee Women's Aid

Abstract

This is the third of three articles, all of which are published in this issue of the HEJ, on the Women, Low Income and Smoking Project. This ASH Scotland project was funded by the Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) for three years (to March 1999) to explore new ways of addressing issues around smoking among women living on low incomes. The article considers two initiatives funded by the project, which worked with women who had experi enced homelessness. These agencies focused on different aspects of smoking. Barnardo's aimed to provide a programme of sessions which would allow women to try new activities and reflect on their attitudes to smoking and personal choices. Women's Aid aimed to run a smoking support group which would develop a smoking policy and supportive materials for their refuges. The paper outlines the development of the two initiatives, their experiences, outcomes and lessons learnt.