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Studies show American Cancer Society’s

Quitline nearly doubles smokers’ quit rates

Free Telephone Counseling Service Rolling Out Across U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO—Nov.20, 2002 — Preliminary studies released today at the annual National Conference on Tobacco or Health find the American Cancer Society’s new telephone-based cessation counseling capability, Quitline^SM, nearly doubles a smoker’s chances of quitting successfully compared to the use of self-help materials alone.

The Society created Quitline after clinical studies consistently showed professional, in-person counseling could help smokers measurably increase their chances of quitting successfully. “There is one major obstacle to counseling: having to make several trips to a doctor’s office or classroom,” said Harmon J. Eyre, MD, the Society’s national chief medical officer and executive vice president for research and cancer control. “These new studies show phone counseling can be just as effective as in-person counseling and could actually help far more people, since virtually anyone can make a phone call.”

In the first study, smokers who called the Society’s Quitline in Texas were randomly assigned to receive either self-help materials alone or self-help materials and up to five phone counseling sessions, two before their quite date and three after. One-year results on the first 1,000 callers enrolled in the study show smokers who used Quitline had nearly twice the success rate of those who relied on self-help materials alone (21 percent vs. 13 percent, p<0.05).

In another study, researchers found young adults (aged 18 to 25) also benefited from phone counseling. Young smokers reported less social support for their efforts and had success lower rates overall. Still, phone sessions more than doubled their chances of success compared to the use of self-help materials alone (15 percent vs. 6.5 percent, p<0.01). Although young smokers were less likely to use nicotine replacement therapy (7 percent vs. 17 percent, p<0.001), they were more likely than older smokers to succeed using patches, sprays and gum (36 percent vs. 21 percent, p<0.05).

A third study found a high number of callers to Quitline were depressed, with 40 percent reporting signs of the condition. As expected, depressed smokers were less likely to quit successfully than non-depressed smokers (7.4 percent vs. 11.2 percent, p < 0.01). But the study showed telephone counseling could help depressed smokers quit, as well.

An estimated 47 million adults in the United States currently smoke. About half will die of smoking-related disease. Epidemiologic studies show about 70 percent of smokers want to quit, but only 35 percent to 45 percent try during any given year.

The American Cancer Society now provides telephone call center operations and clinical telephone counseling for Quitlines in 10 states and also provides support and information for all smokers nationwide. For more information on Quitline or for tips and resources that can double your chances of quitting successfully, call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.

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