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CEASE Baltimore

Tobacco use is the bellwether of health disparities. No other single factor contributes more to disease and disability than smoking. Despite Maryland having the 11th lowest statewide smoking prevalence in the country, a 2013 survey of Southwest Baltimore (SWB) residents revealed that 55 percent of adults smoked. Since 2008, CEASE has been working in partnership with Morgan State University to eliminate this devastating tobacco epidemic. Now in Phase IV, the CEASE project (Communities Engaged and Advocating for Smoke-free Environments), incorporates continuous feedback into program improvement to get better at helping smokers quit and stay quit. In the process, it has laid the foundation for reducing the root causes of social injustice. CEASE trains and deploys Peer Motivators, ex-smokers who are recruited from the neighborhoods they serve, to lead cessation classes held in community venues where participants are most comfortable. To date, CEASE has served more than 1,200 individuals. Among those attending six or more counseling sessions, almost 40 percent have become smoke-free. (Compare this to the cessation rates for those who try without assistance which range from four to seven percent.) One of the important lessons learned from this effort is that quitting smoking is more of a social than a clinical event. The active youth component of CEASE outreaches to young people in schools, after-school programming, and social media. Activities include photography and performance arts that provide students the opportunity to increase their own knowledge, resiliency, and self-worth.