Exploring Experiences of Smoking
Discovering People's Experiences of Smoking and Quitting Smoking in Areas of Deprivation
From August to the end of September 2023, Community Connectors ventured out into local ‘bumping spaces’, pubs and community spaces in some of Norwich’s most deprived communities to have conversations with residents about their experiences of smoking and quitting smoking.
Background:
The Shoebox Enterprises CIC received funding from the Norfolk Community Foundation and the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) who were working in partnership to enable VCSE organisations to participate in the Community Voices programme focussed on smoking cessation.
Community Connectors have been recruited from their local neighbourhoods and are managed and supported by The Shoebox but work for the benefit of their local community. Norwich City Council works in partnership with The Shoebox to support the continued development of the Community Connector team and wider Community Conversations project. Additionally, they oversee the analysis of community conversations and sharing of insights through the Community Conversations Insights Hub.
Approach:
The Connectors received Community Voices training and smoking cessation training to help equip them with the knowledge required to hold community conversations with residents on this topic.
The Connectors utilised their existing networks and knowledge of their neighbourhoods: Mile Cross, North Earlham and Mancroft, which have been identified as Reducing Inequality Target Areas (RITAs) by Norwich City Council to identify opportunities to have conversations with residents in a range of settings.
The Connectors’ flexible approaches mean they can ‘pop up’ in ‘bumping spaces’ in neighbourhoods such as local pubs, corner shops and GP surgeries and reach people where they are instead of expecting people to come to them.
“Connectors are skilled in starting conversations whilst out and about in the community, whether that’s outside the school gates or in a local park or at a bus stop. They have a great ability to put people at ease and quickly establish rapport, which enables them to capture rich insights into people’s experiences of living and working in their communities.” Tom Gaskin, CEO, The Shoebox Enterprises CIC
What were the results:
The Connectors had over 100 conversations in their neighbourhoods with a wide range of people aged 18 and over who considered themselves occasional or regular smokers as well as those who had quit smoking.
Initially, the Connectors were unsure how having a specific focus would affect their conversations and were concerned that ‘it might be intrusive’ but they found that people were generally happy to chat and in many cases were very open about their life circumstances and what they felt had led them to start smoking or triggered them to return to smoking.
Listen to Chloe Laurie, Community Connector for Mancroft talking to Diane Church, Freelance Journalist about her experience of having community conversations regarding smoking cessation:
What was the learning?
Many people expressed concerns about health issues related to smoking or past smoking experiences. The Connectors spoke to several people who shared that they started smoking in their teens due to ‘peer pressure’ or the opinion that ‘everyone was doing it at School’.
They heard of instances of people attempting to quit smoking, but often facing challenges in obtaining convenient and appropriate support. Others also shared complex relationships with smoking, with people returning to smoking often triggered by stress or trauma.
Many people shared how they had tried to quit smoking by transitioning to vaping but concerns about dependency and the expense of vaping emerged as a common theme. Claire Davy, Community Connector for Mile Cross shared “A lot of the conversations I had were with people who had smoked, had gone on to vaping and were stuck on vaping.”
Motivations for quitting smoking varied but often related to changes in life circumstances such as having children.
The conversations undertaken by Connectors through the Community Voices programme demonstrates how they can reach people who are often overlooked in communities and who typically may not engage with traditional surveys or focus groups. By operating in a non-judgemental way and just listening and being curious about people’s experiences the Connectors have been able to obtain rich insights into people’s realities and their complex relationships with smoking and experiences of attempting to quit.
Alongside the smoking related conversations, Connectors were also able to continue to have broader conversations about what individuals cared about in their community and what people would like to see improved. Connectors found that having conversations in new spaces within the community such as pub gardens helped them to build new relationships with pub owners who were often very community minded. Connectors also met new people and reconnected with many people they had spoken to previously in other settings which helped to strengthen relationships.
“It was interesting. We met a lot of different people that we wouldn’t normally meet. We’d go into a beer garden on a Thursday afternoon…you’re going to see a different person to who you’d see on a Sunday lunchtime or a Saturday evening. You’d get your families or young parents and people on their own and it was nice to see the difference.” Claire Davy, Community Connector, Mile Cross
How will the learning be used?
Norfolk Public Health are going to be making some decisions around smoking cessation services in the future, and will use the learning to ensure these services are designed to work for all communities, particularly those experiencing the greatest inequalities.