Examining homeless-experienced adults' smoking cessation treatment use pre- and post-entry into permanent supportive housing

BACKGROUND: Homeless-experienced adults smoke at rates 5 times that of the general adult population, and often have limited access to cessation treatments while homeless. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) can be a catalyst for cessation treatment utilization, yet little is known about use of these treatments following PSH entry, or how to tailor and implement cessation care that meets homeless-experienced adults' vulnerabilities. 

METHODS: Using Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data, we assessed smoking status (ie, current, former, non/never) among a cohort of homeless-experienced Veterans (HEVs) housed in Los Angeles-based PSH. We compared cessation treatment use rates (ie, nicotine replacement therapies, cessation medications, psychosocial counseling) pre- and post-housing using Chi-square tests. Predisposing (ie, demographics), enabling (eg, primary care, benefits), and need characteristics (ie, health, mental health, substance use diagnoses) were examined as correlates of cessation treatment utilization pre- and post-housing in univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. 

RESULTS: Across HEVs (N = 2933), 48.6% were identified as currently-smoking, 17.7% as formerly-smoking, and 14.0% as non/never smoking. Among currently- and formerly-smoking HEVs (n = 1944), rates of cessation treatment use post-housing were significantly lower, compared to pre-housing, across all treatment types. Health, mental health, and substance use was more prevalent among currently- and formerly-smoking HEVs compared to non/never-smoking HEVs, and most diagnoses were positively associated with utilization univariably. However, in multivariable models, cessation clinic referrals and primary care engagement were the only significant (P < .001) predictors of pre-housing and post-housing cessation treatment utilization. 

CONCLUSION: Among HEVs, we found high smoking rates and low cessation treatment utilization pre- and post-PSH entry. Efforts to educate providers about this population's desire to quit smoking, support primary care engagement, and increase cessation clinic referrals may bolster their utilization. For homeless-experienced adults, optimizing cessation treatment accessibility by embedding cessation services within PSH and homeless service settings may reduce utilization impediments.