Problem/Objective: That offering Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) as an adjunct to a Telephonic Tobacco Cessation Quitline increases call volume and improves quit rates has been well established. However, a related important question is whether the increased quit rates persist over time.

Methods: The State of Colorado and the State of Ohio both began to offer up to eight weeks of NRT to some (OH) or all (CO) Quitline participants. The present study looks at responder quit rates at six and 12 months following the initial call to the Program. Follow-up data are currently available for 10,605 responders to a six-month survey, and 3,687 responders to a 12-month survey.

Results: Results show that for NRT recipients the quit rate was 38.1% at six months and 34% at 12 months; this reduction in quit rates was statistically significant (p=.01). For callers who did not receive NRT the quit rate was 26.0% at both six and 12 months. Between group differences were significant and revealed that the higher quit rate for NRT recipients was present at six months and continued to twelve months (both p<.0001).

Conclusions: These results reveal that offering NRT in a Quitline program can provide long-term benefit for callers.