Learning Objectives: describe an effective telephone-based cessation intervention for teen smokers, explain a promising intervention for pregnant smokers involving direct referral by health care personnel and follow-through by telephone-based cessation counselors, and explain the benefits of a quitline for low-SES smokers, including a high rate of utilization and enhanced quit rates for those using pharmacotherapy.
Abstract: Audience. This panel of presentations by the California Smokers’ Helpline is for anyone interested in how telephone quitlines can serve high-risk or hard-to-serve populations, including teens, pregnant smokers, and low-SES tobacco users. It will benefit quitline funders and operators and others who work with these populations and need effective resources for them.
Key Points. Quitlines are well-suited not only for the general population, but also for sub-groups considered high-risk or hard to serve. Teen smokers use the Helpline at about the same rate as adults, and a randomized trial with teens (n=1,441) has shown that telephone counseling produced 6-month prolonged abstinence of 15.9%, compared to 11.2% for self-help (p<.05). With pregnant smokers, the Helpline has found that proactive calls to women identified by their obstetricians increases participation in counseling to 32% from a baseline of 3% (p<.0001), indicating the promising nature of this intervention. Preliminary data from a randomized trial testing the efficacy of this approach will be presented. Another study tracking participation of Medicaid smokers using pharmacotherapy shows that proactive follow-up is associated with increased quitting success. The data also show that low-SES callers are becoming measurably less certain of their pharmacotherapy plans, indicating the increasingly important role of quitlines for this population.
Educational experience and benefits. Through hearing the experience of veteran quitline researchers, attendees will come to appreciate the utility of quitlines for high-risk or hard-to-reach populations. They will learn about promising interventions for teen and pregnant smokers, and the benefits of reaching out to low-SES smokers.
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