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Collaborative Indigenous Research Initiative
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  3. Collaborative research networks
  4. Collaborative Indigenous Research Initiative
  5. UC CIRI Projects
  6. Indigenous Smoking
  7. Benefits of this Research

Benefits of this Research

The aim of this project is to identify the key components necessary for successful pre-release programs to support Aboriginal men as they reintegrate into the community. This will include developing appropriate referral pathways and considering how effective practices can be applied in different contexts and settings.

Holistic quit smoking pathway referrals for inmates are a crucial feature of smoking cessation support programs amongst inmates – including general psycho-social supports in conjunction with quit services. As prisons in New South Wales are smoke free by law, education sessions that focus on local quit support services and mechanisms for coping with stress following transition from rigid prison schedules to civilian life are favoured.  We will generate outcomes with tangible benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men who have been in prison by supporting:

  1. Increased awareness of local quit support services.
  2. Increased awareness of smoking cessation referral pathways.
  3. Increased awareness of smoking triggers and coping strategies to prevent uptake post-release.
  4. A shift in attitudes towards smoking cessation.
  5. A shift in behavior towards smoking cessation and respecting smoke free environments.
  6. Increased knowledge of the impacts of smoking, environmental smoke and the benefits of smoking cessation.

Through this project we will begin the process of generating the evidence of best practice for developing relevant programs and partnerships, ultimately distilling this into practical advice that can be disseminated for application across organisations working in this space. In this way the knowledge and understanding generated by the research will contribute directly to activities undertaken to decrease rates of smoking among some of the most at risk groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  

Strengthening the evidence base to include examples of what works on the ground with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men who have been in prison, will in turn enable health and wellbeing providers to improve their on-ground delivery and more effectively achieve the Federal Government funded TIS program aim of reducing smoking among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by contributing to the following outcomes:

  • Smokers quit and maintain smoking cessation;
  • Effective monitoring, evaluation and sharing best practice for tobacco control activities within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities;
  • Better evidence on what works to reduce tobacco use within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Project outputs (e.g. program resources, case studies and summary reports) will be included in the Tackling Indigenous Smoking Resource and Information Centre (TISRIC) as they become available. We will also investigate opportunities for conference sessions (e.g. the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference), and journal articles (e.g. Public Health Research and Practice for the implications and Tobacco Control for the findings) to enable the emerging information to reach a wider audience.