Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of death in Canada. While the percentage of adult smokers has decreased considerably over the past 20 years, the last 5 years have seen little decline. One strategy generating interest in further reducing the number of smokers in Canada is the mass distribution of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). Evaluation of this public health initiative has generated promising results, however no research study has addressed how effective mass distribution of NRT is in reducing smoking rates and which patient populations most likely to benefit from this intervention is unknown. As smoking and mental illness are highly associated and those with mental illness have a lower likelihood of quitting, it is important to understand whether the mass distribution approach is beneficial for this highly prevalent population of smokers. The goal of this research project is to examine whether mental health status affects smoking cessation success following the mass distribution of nicotine patches to Canadian smokers. It is anticipated that among Canadian smokers interested in free nicotine patches and randomly selected to receive them, fewer individuals with mental illness will quit compared to smokers without mental illness. As mass-distribution initiatives are currently undertaken and considered across Canada, this research would address whether the provision of free NRT on a large scale is an effective strategy for promoting smoking cessation. While this approach may be effective at helping the general population of smokers, evidence that few smokers with mental illness are successful in quitting even after the provision of free NRT will identify the limitations of this approach. Given that the burden of smoking is noticeably higher among those with mental illness, this research will provide strong argument that additional forms of support are necessary for this patient population to further reduce the number of preventable deaths.