Learning Objectives: Identify the types of cessation interventions that were most effective for callers to the Georgia quitline.
Abstract:
Problem/Objective: In 2001, 24 percent of adult Georgians smoked cigarettes. Among these, 59 percent had stopped smoking for at least one day because they wanted to quit. Tobacco use causes over 11,000 deaths, $1.8 billion in medical expenses and $2.6 billion in lost productivity each year in Georgia.
Methods: The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line (GAQL), a statewide tobacco cessation counseling resource, became operational on October 15, 2001. A total of 16,541 callers contacted GAQL for assistance in its first year. A telephone survey of quit line users who received an intervention from a tobacco cessation specialist was conducted approximately six months after the smoker’s initial call to obtain information about the caller’s attempts and desire to quit, cessation methods or strategies, last use of tobacco, confidence in quitting ability, and participation in a cessation program. Of the 915 randomly selected callers, 508 (56 percent) participated in the survey.
Results: Survey results indicated that 21 percent of GAQL callers had not used tobacco for at least a month. Abstinence rates were significantly higher among smokers who received more follow-up counseling. Most of the callers (84 percent) reported using more than one quit method.
Conclusions: GAQL has been effective in helping Georgians quit tobacco, especially for those who received follow-up counseling calls. These findings are consistent with the scientific literature stating that more counseling calls predict greater cessation success.
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