“Food insecurity and smoking operate as risk factors for one another. People who smoke may spend more of their income on cigarettes, which leaves them less money to spend on food. Chronic food insecurity can increase stress and some people may smoke to alleviate stress and/or use smoking as an appetite suppressant, which may further dependence on nicotine.”

Resources for addressing food insecurity and other social determinants of health in Worcester, Massachusetts

Marie-Danielle Bardet, SAC’s outreach specialist, represents the Spanish American Center in a Central MA Tobacco- and Nicotine-Free Community Partnership with our partners Noriasha Mensah and Professor Colleen McKay from UMass Chan Medical School, whose 2023 research is quoted above.  

Tobacco- and Nicotine-Free Community Partnerships:

• Focus on working with people of color and other groups who have been unfairly targeted by the tobacco industry and by systemic racism, leading to higher rates of tobacco- and nicotine-related disease.
• Are committed to racial and health equity. They support communities leading solutions to unjust policies, systems or conditions where people live, work and gather, so everyone has the opportunity to live free from commercial tobacco and nicotine.
• Provide education about tobacco and nicotine that reflects each community’s culture and language. Their work is guided by the needs, strengths, and voices of the communities they serve.