376 Smoking cessation: a study of professional practices in the provision of medical and social support to migrants

Abstract PTH 7: Health Policy and Health Services 2, B308 (FCSH), September 5, 2025, 11:30 - 12:24 Aims This study examines how health care providers and social workers address smoking prevention and reduction among immigrant populations they work with. Methods Individual semi-directive qualitative interviews were implemented within a sample of professionals who provide medical and social services in France in 2019. Results The professionals interviewed considered tobacco and smoking practices to be secondary to more pressing health or administrative issues. They also faced numerous barriers that made them reluctant to help these populations stop or reduce their tobacco use, claiming that they were not comfortable with the subject or that they simply did not have enough time to support smoking cessation. Furthermore, these professionals sometimes even used tobacco as a means of developing the therapeutic relationship they are trying to establish with the populations they serve. Conclusions Our study has shown how professional representations related to smoking can fall into a different paradigm than that of public health. In addition, their professional practices may represent an obstacle or missed opportunity for migrant populations in their efforts to quit smoking.