Learning Opportunities for Smoking-Cessation Support and Demand for Client Smoking Cessation Support Tools among Welfare Caseworkers

Abstract

Objective: To clarify the status learning opportunities of smoking-cessation support and the demand of smokingcessation support tools for client among welfare caseworkers.
Method: The raw data from a previous study, “Effectiveness of a Tool for Welfare Workers to Support Smoking-Cessation by Welfare Recipients,” were reanalyzed.
Results: There were few opportunities to learn about smoking cessation, and 44.2% of respondents indicated that they would like to attend training sessions. In the second survey, 80.1% said that they understood the content of the tools, and 37.1% indicated that the tools would be useful. The most common desired training content was “general addiction content,” and the most common conditions requested for holding the training were “venue close to work/office” and “during work hours.”
Discussion: These findings suggest that the learning of specialized knowledge by welfare caseworkers and of methods of collaboration with multiple professions is needed, and that a system that enables learning in an environment accessible to welfare caseworkers is needed in training programs. Although printed material can be used to support smoking-cessation, the results suggest that it is difficult to support welfare recipients to quit smoking by using only these kinds of tools.
Conclusion: Further study of a system of interprofessional work to help welfare recipients to quit smoking is needed.