Smoking Quitlines (03-11-2004) 

More than 30 states have instituted quitlines - smoking cessation telephone counseling services - as an intervention method for smokers. Quitlines are estimated to help smokers quit at twice the rate of other intervention programs ¹ .

** Among individuals who received smoking cessation materials in addition to quitline access, 20.7% abstained from cigarettes after one month, 7.5% remained smoke-free at one year, and 23.3% had made at least one attempt to quit within that year.

** Among those receiving materials without quitline intervention, only 9.6% abstained from cigarettes at one month, 4.1% were smoke-free after one year, and 18.4% had made an attempt to quit within the year.

For a complete map of the state quitlines, see http://www.smokefree.gov/usmap.html

Quitlines provide:

• No-cost telephone counseling services for those who want to quit smoking,
• Development of individualized "quitting strategies" based on the caller’s smoking habits and personal concerns,
• Follow-up counseling sessions for critical relapse days during the smoking cessation process,
• Written materials, and
• Interactive web tools, such as online quit buddies and medical advice.

It has been shown that such combinations of intervention strategies, including medication, daily behavior change, and emotional support, can be the most successful for smoking cessation.

¹ Zhu SH, Anderson CM, Tedeschi GJ, Rosbrook B, Johnson CE, Byrd M, Gutierrez-Terrell E. "Evidence of real-world effectiveness of a telephone quitline for smokers." N Engl J Med. 2002 Oct 3;347(14):1106-9.