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Salinas, CA 93905

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(831) 796-2888

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(831) 757-3286

Monterey County Health Department *WIC Nutrition Program

WIC Smoking Cessation Project
"Quit to Win -- For the Love of Our Children"
October 1997 - May 1999

    In October 1997, the Monterey County Health Department - WIC Nutrition Program received a smoking cessation project grant from a one-time allocation of the Tobacco Control Section of the Department of Health Services (Tobacco Tax  monies).  The project embraced a multifaceted approach and has been very successful in:

                1)   Tobacco cessation
                2) Creating tobacco-free home
                3) Guiding parents of young children in teaching their children,
                       at a very young age, about the dangers of tobacco.

Where:    EIC-SCP services provided in Salinas, Seaside and King City.

Who:      Every month our local WIC program serves more than 18,800 low-income pregnant and
                breastfeeding women and their infants and children to age five.  This is about 12,000 Monterey
                County families.  Each year more than 4,000 babies (nearly 61%) born in Monterey County
                participate in the WIC nutrition program.  More than 2,600 babies (75%) born in Salinas are
                enrolled in WIC.

Results:    2.050 FAMILIES WERE IDENTIFIED FOR SMOKING CESSATION SERVICES
                 779    quit smoking
                     553     cut back
                     738      admitted to no change

                In addition to the materials provided in the classes, we handed out:
                    708     Self -help "Quit Kits"
                     651     Lung rulers
                    549     Tobacco-Free Home Signs
                    419      Car decals
                    337     Pledge stickers
                    811      Water bottles
                 1,844     Pamphlets

The following services were proven successful and we would like to continue with Prop 10 funding:

1. Identification of smokers and second hand smokers
   Over 18,000 WIC participants were screened for tobacco use or exposure to second-hand smoke, which identified 2,050 individuals for smoking cessation services.

The standard screening for WIC eligibility asks if the participants smokes or if there are any other smokers living in the household.  We have identified more than 2,000 families with young children where a smoker lives.  With the WIC-SCP enhanced funding, we "coded" the family's WIC program folder as to their smoking status.  This allowed for easy and consistent identification for on-going tobacco cessation services (pamphlets, quit kits, hot line numbers, community resources, video check-out) during the following six months, generally 3 additional contacts.

2. Kid's Club Class
   10 Kid's Club classes offered monthly to a total of 200 families (400+ individuals for a total of 120 classes annually reaching 2,400 families.

All WIC participants (smokers and non-smokers) that have 3 and 4 year olds attended the Kid's Club Class where they learned in a fun way the unpleasant and harmful effects of tobacco and second hand smoke.   Parents and children sang songs such as "I Won't Smoke" and other activities to help instill the tobacco-free message from an early age and to give parents the tools for talking to their children.

3. November Class: "For the Love of Our Families - Tobacco-Free Homes"
   99 classes taught during the month of November 1998 attended by 3,500 families.

This class is for ALL WIC participants to attend and has motivated many to quit as well as committed many to maintain smoke-free homes and teach their children the hazards of tobacco.

4. Six-session Tobacco Cessation Class
   Two series of 6 sessions each, reached 25 smokers

WIC-SCP provided this series twice to the Inmate Mother Infant program and was requested by Perinatal Recovery Services, although has yet to be initiated at PRS.  These are two  agencies with women that have high tobacco use and are unable to attend other community cessation programs.

5. Staff Training
   45 WIC staff members trained in tobacco cessation education

The WIC-SCP provided training to 45 staff members which was paramount to providing a successful program.  Funds to allow continued staff development as well as sending one staff member per year to be trained as a certified tobacco cessation counselor would maintain a quality program.  A WIC staff member attends the monthly Monterey County Tobacco Coalition meetings.

For information contact:     Michelle Fox, RN, CLE         757-0739
                                                  Alberta James, RD, CLE      757-0745

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Last modified: February 02, 2004