Stress coping and smoking among youth experiencing homelessness

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When organizations work with vulnerable populations, like youth who are homeless, there are so many pressing issues it's easy to presume that focusing on health behaviors like smoking, alcohol, or drug use is not a priority. Our research suggests that if we change the contexts of youths' lives by reducing driving stressors (like violence, housing, job, or food insecurity) and increasing stress coping skills, we may also help them sustain health-promoting behaviors, like quitting smoking. Thinking holistically about health promotion is critical when we're working with minoritized and vulnerable groups; we have to be creative and comprehensive in our solution-making.

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