Tobacco smoking and homelessness

The prevalence of smoking among the homeless is high. It is three or four times higher than in the general population. A combination of factors makes smoking among the population experiencing homelessness particularly dangerous with a higher possibility of health complications. Habits like tobacco scavenging and the high amount of money they have to spend, when considering the cost of cigarettes in a context of an extremely low income, to maintain the addiction and avoid the craving symptoms resulting from nicotine abstinence places this particular group in a vulnerable situation. This review chapter seeks a better understanding of what is known about tobacco use in its various forms within the homeless population. It summarizes the medical literature surrounding the topic and tries to understand if there are prevention or treatment strategies to approach smoking in this population.