Quit Victoria and VicHealth are working with public housing communities in the City of Yarra to develop a suite of resident-led solutions to reduce tobacco-related harm
Public housing is a setting of concern for tobacco-related harm due to daily smoking rates that are considerably higher than the general population (29 per cent compared with 12 per cent). This discrepancy is concerning both for the direct harms on the person who smokes and for the impact that higher smoking rates can have on non-smoking residents, who will likely experience higher levels of second- and thirdhand smoke exposure.
To address this inequity, the project team (Quit Victoria, VicHealth, residents and community organisations) are co-designing a suite of sustainable solutions that build resident confidence and ability to reduce tobacco-related harm. This will involve understanding the specific barriers public housing communities face and devising co-designed solutions that address these.
Resident champions in the City of Yarra will be empowered to trial the solutions, supported by community-based organisations including North Richmond Community Health Service. It is expected that the solutions will include residents sharing important smokefree messages and advice, and supporting cessation attempts within their communities.
The learnings from the City of Yarra pilot will be used to refine the solutions in early 2023, before they are rolled out to the broader Victorian public housing community, and community stakeholders, from mid-2023.
Want to stay in the know? Complete this web form to receive key project updates and be notified when the solutions are made public in 2023. Or for more information email Zoe Taylor, Healthy Communities Lead at Quit Victoria.
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