News SISTAQUIT identified barriers to smoking cessation, including a lack of availability, consistency, and access to culturally appropriate health services. Following a successful pilot phase, national smoking cessation project – Supporting Indigenous Smokers To Assist Quit ( SISTAQUIT ) – is now in the randomised controlled trial phase. Associate Professor Gillian Gould, GP and Research Fellow at the University of Newcastle School of Medicine and Public Health, is leading the SISTAQUIT project, which is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases. There are currently 22 sites nationally, comprising intervention and control groups. ‘It’s basically aimed at healthcare provider training,’ Associate Professor Gould told newsGP . ‘The intervention group receive training in evidence-based, culturally competent smoking cessation care, particular to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pregnant women.’ These women are assessed for their level of smoking, as well as being […]