My child at a day centre smokes. What can I do?

Talk to the staff team first — many day centres and support services have specific programmes. Ask for a stop-smoking advisor trained in disability. Avoid frontal confrontation, which can reinforce the habit.

I am Deaf, I want to quit — where do I find help in sign language?

SignHealth and similar charities offer BSL-friendly health information. Aria works by written chat, which makes it directly accessible. NHS Quit Smoking webchat is also an option.

I have a motor disability, I cannot apply a patch on my own. What now?

You can ask a relative, a support worker or a community nurse. You can also favour gums or lozenges which require no application. Your GP can guide you to the best form.

I am under guardianship — can I decide alone to quit?

Yes. Stop-smoking is a personal choice. Guardianship can help with administrative steps, but the decision belongs to you.

My relative at a day centre smokes heavily. How do I help without putting pressure on them?

Caring approach, no judgement. Offer to contact a quit helpline together, or use Aria at their pace. The regional disability network can have local resources too.

People with disabilities and tobacco: access to stop-smoking care and tailored resources

People with disabilities smoke more than average but have less access to quitting support. Here are the concrete resources, tailored to the reality.

June 17, 2026 Aria

The scientific basis on quitting smoking was reviewed on a voluntary basis by Pr. Bertrand Dautzenberg , a tobacco specialist, in order to rule out gross, potentially dangerous errors. It reflects positions commonly shared by health professionals and health agencies, without always corresponding exactly to his thinking or his practice. He is not the author of this text; he has only carried out a vigilance review of it.

A rarely covered subject, poorly documented, and yet a major one: people with disabilities smoke more than the general population, and have less access to stop-smoking support. Here is the state of play and the concrete resources — for the person concerned, for their relatives, and for the professionals who support them.

A reality long made invisible

23.5% of people with an intellectual disability say they smoke (19.6% daily) — close to the general population average, but with much less access to help.

Santé Publique France, Hauts-de-France survey, 2022-2023

People with disabilities tend to smoke more than the general population.

HAS, framework note

Prevention of addictions and risk reduction in social-medical services, November 2022

Several factors add up:

The barriers to accessing cessation care

Type of barrier	Daily reality
Physical	Surgeries not wheelchair-accessible, broken lifts, missing hearing loops
Communicational	Few materials in sign language, Braille or easy-read
Cognitive	"General public" leaflets use complex language, addiction concepts can be abstract
Institutional	Limited staff training on disability, no specific protocols
Economic	Substitutes are reimbursed in many countries, but the upfront cost can be a barrier

The adapted resources and programmes

1. Easy-read and visual tools

National public health bodies have developed easy-read translations of smoking and health questionnaires. They let a person with an intellectual disability self-assess their consumption, motivation to quit and past attempts.

2. Programmes in day centres and supported living

Several regions (in France: Hauts-de-France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Normandy via the RSVA; in the UK: charity-led pilots) have developed specific awareness and cessation programmes:

3. NHS / public health systems and substitutes

Nicotine substitutes (patches, gums, lozenges) are available via local stop-smoking services. In the UK, they are often free through NHS Stop Smoking Services. For people under guardianship, the guardian can support the steps.

4. NHS Quit Smoking and equivalents

The NHS Quit Smoking helpline (0300 123 1044) is free. Text and webchat options improve access for people with hearing impairments. SignHealth and similar charities offer BSL-friendly health information.

For relatives and professionals

Particular cases to know

Tobacco and some psychiatric treatments

Motor disability and substitutes

For people who find patches or gums hard to handle (limited hand mobility, for example), alternatives exist: inhalers, sprays, or carer help with patch application.

In United Kingdom

Your questions

My child at a day centre smokes. What can I do?

Talk to the staff team first — many day centres and support services have specific programmes. Ask for a stop-smoking advisor trained in disability. Avoid frontal confrontation, which can reinforce the habit.
I am Deaf, I want to quit — where do I find help in sign language?

SignHealth and similar charities offer BSL-friendly health information. Aria works by written chat, which makes it directly accessible. NHS Quit Smoking webchat is also an option.
I have a motor disability, I cannot apply a patch on my own. What now?

You can ask a relative, a support worker or a community nurse. You can also favour gums or lozenges which require no application. Your GP can guide you to the best form.
I am under guardianship — can I decide alone to quit?

Yes. Stop-smoking is a personal choice. Guardianship can help with administrative steps, but the decision belongs to you.
My relative at a day centre smokes heavily. How do I help without putting pressure on them?

Caring approach, no judgement. Offer to contact a quit helpline together, or use Aria at their pace. The regional disability network can have local resources too.

sources

NICE, Stop smoking interventions and services, NG92.
HAS, Framework note: Prevention of addictions in social-medical services, November 2022.
Mencap, Health and smoking, easy-read resources.
WHO, Disability and health, factsheet, 2023.
The Factors Associated with Attempted Smoking Cessation According to the Types of Disability, NCBI / PMC, 2021.