Homeless smokers struggle with quitting more than economically disadvantaged smokers with housing, suggests a new study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health. The study compared homeless smokers receiving treatment at a shelter based smoking cessation clinic to people enrolled in a smoking cessation program at a Dallas safety-net hospital. “On average, homeless people reported that they were around 40 smokers every day in comparison with the hospital group, which reported daily exposure to an average of three to four smokers,” said lead author Dr. Michael S. Businelle, assistant professor of health promotion and behavioral sciences at the University of Texas School of Public Health Dallas Regional Campus. “Imagine if you had an alcohol problem and were trying to quit drinking. It would be almost impossible to quit if you were surrounded by 40 people drinking every day. That is the situation homeless folks have to overcome when they try to quit smoking.”