A community development approach to tobacco control

This article considers the work of an adult education project, second chance learning (SCL), in helping its clients not only to try to stop smoking, but also to examine the place of tobacco in their lives. SCL undertook this work as one of three projects funded by the Argyll and Clyde Health Board in response to the 1998 publication of Smoking Kills, by the Department of Health. SCL is based in a relatively deprived area and has a strong tradition of working with (rather than for) its users, within a clear and open management structure. The activities of the tobacco group were determined by its members, and the success of the group was marked not only by the fact that some members did manage to stop smoking, but also that members felt they had a better understanding of why they smoked. Higher levels of self confidence were evidenced by the increasing diversity of the activities undertaken by the group.