Assessing the Feasibility of Conducting Smoking Cessation Outreach in Food Pantries: A Pilot Intervention Study

Smoking prevalence is high among US adults with food insecurity. This study examined how food assistance settings, namely food pantries, can serve as a community-based venue to reach food insecure adults who smoke for smoking cessation.

Partnering with a local hunger relief organization, we conducted surveys and focus groups of food pantry clients in Greater Cleveland, Ohio, followed by food pantry-based outreach events to connect people who smoke to the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line.

The survey included 132 participants who visited a food pantry (M age = 47; 74% women; 39% Black/African American), of whom 35% were using tobacco and 31% were smoking cigarettes. Among those currently smoking (M cigarettes/day = 9), 76% intended to quit in the next 6 months, and 82% had not used nor heard of the quitline. Informed by focus group themes, we conducted a total of 22 outreach events at four pantries. Among those interested in smoking cessation resources from the outreach events (n = 54), 78% were able to be subsequently contacted. Of them, 74% provided consent for quitline referral. The remainder either declined or were unable to participate.

While it was feasible to leverage food pantries for smoking cessation outreach, the overall reach was low. Despite high interest in quitting, there was limited effectiveness of outreach efforts without adaptations to each pantry setting and in recognition of the immediate food needs and with challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. There remains a critical need to address high rates of smoking among populations experiencing food insecurity.

Tobacco cessation services are increasingly recognizing the need to address food insecurity and other social needs that commonly occur in populations who use tobacco at higher rates. This research underscores both the value and the challenges related to leveraging food pantries as a community-based venue for smoking cessation outreach. In addition to improvements in outreach models, long-term investments in structural interventions are also needed to address underlying poverty and socioeconomic disadvantage that ultimately drive disparities in smoking and in food insecurity.