Effectiveness of Quitlines
In 2009, nearly 21,000 Hoosiers called the quitline for assistance to successfully quit tobacco use. According to the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Agency 2009 Annual Report:
- Almost 50 percent of current smokers are aware of the quitline.
- In 2009, quitline participants were 60 percent women, 11 percent African American, 4 percent Hispanic and nearly 65 percent were between the ages of 31 and 60.
- In 2009, 33 percent of quitline participants who were followed up with after 13 months reported being tobacco free.
Using a quitline can increase the chance that a tobacco user will be successful in their quit attempt. Proactive phone counseling is more effective than less intensive approaches such as self-help materials and tailored mail.
The Indiana Tobacco Quitline plays a role in increasing the number of tobacco users making a quit attempt and in the success rate of those attempts. Both factor into lowering Indiana's high smoking rates.
A review of multiple quitline studies indicated that proactive quitlines, like the Indiana Tobacco Quitline, showed a 56% increase in quit rates when compared to self-help (people quitting on their own) (Stead et al. 2004).
Quitlines can provide effective assistance to those who seek it and also to increase quitting among tobacco users in general. In comparison to traditional cessation programs, a quitline does:
- Eliminate barriers of traditional cessation classes, like needing transportation or child care
- Help those with limited mobility
- Offer access to those who live in rural or remote areas
- Appeal to those who are reluctant to participate in a group program
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/cessation/quitlines/pdfs/quitlines.pdf
