People with disability are more likely to smoke and cease smoking at lower rates than people without disability. However, less information exists on smoking specifically among people with intellectual disability. Little is known about the reasons why people with an intellectual disability start smoking or barriers to quitting. Understanding these factors will facilitate the design of more effective and appropriate policy responses to tobacco control health promotion initiatives. This project takes a programmatic approach to understanding the smoking behaviours of people with intellectual disability and potential interventions for reducing smoking rates over time. 

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Research Team

Ms Zoe Aitken, University of Melbourne
Dr George Disney, University of Melbourne
Ms Celia Green, UNSW
Dr Jerome Rachele, University of Melbourne
Professor Roger Stancliffe, University of Sydney 
Ms Mellissa Kavenagh, University of Melbourne

Partners

VALID and Quit Victoria

Melbourne Disability Institute Seed Funding 2019