Tobacco Use: Quitline Interventions
CDC
An Evidence-Based Practice
Description
Quitlines use the telephone to provide evidence-based behavioral counseling and support to help tobacco users who want to quit. Counseling is provided by trained cessation specialists who follow standardized protocols that may include several sessions delivered over one or more months.
Quitline counseling is widely accessible, convenient to use, and generally provided at no cost to users. Content may be adapted for specific populations, and tailored for individual clients. Counseling may be:
Reactive (tobacco user or recent quitter initiates contacts), or
Proactive (tobacco user or cessation specialist makes initial contact, and the cessation specialist schedules follow-up calls).
Quitlines may provide additional interventions such as mailed self-help materials, integrated web-based and text-messaging support, and evidence-based, FDA-approved medications for tobacco cessation (Fiore et al., 2008).
Quitline counseling is widely accessible, convenient to use, and generally provided at no cost to users. Content may be adapted for specific populations, and tailored for individual clients. Counseling may be:
Reactive (tobacco user or recent quitter initiates contacts), or
Proactive (tobacco user or cessation specialist makes initial contact, and the cessation specialist schedules follow-up calls).
Quitlines may provide additional interventions such as mailed self-help materials, integrated web-based and text-messaging support, and evidence-based, FDA-approved medications for tobacco cessation (Fiore et al., 2008).
Results / Accomplishments
The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends quitline interventions, particularly proactive quitlines (i.e. those that offer follow-up counseling calls), based on strong evidence of effectiveness in increasing tobacco cessation among clients interested in quitting. Evidence was considered strong based on findings from 60 trials of proactive telephone counseling when provided alone or in combination with additional interventions.
Three interventions effective at increasing use of quitlines are:
Mass-reach health communication interventions that combine cessation messages with a quitline number
Provision of free evidence-based tobacco cessation medications for quitline clients interested in quitting
Quitline referral interventions for health care systems and providers.
Evidence also indicates that quitlines can help to expand the use of evidence-based services by tobacco users in populations that historically have had the most limited access to and use of evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments.
Three interventions effective at increasing use of quitlines are:
Mass-reach health communication interventions that combine cessation messages with a quitline number
Provision of free evidence-based tobacco cessation medications for quitline clients interested in quitting
Quitline referral interventions for health care systems and providers.
Evidence also indicates that quitlines can help to expand the use of evidence-based services by tobacco users in populations that historically have had the most limited access to and use of evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments.
About this Promising Practice
Primary Contact
The Community Guide
1600 Clifton Rd, NE
MS E69
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 498-1827
communityguide@cdc.gov
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/
1600 Clifton Rd, NE
MS E69
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 498-1827
communityguide@cdc.gov
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/
Topics
Health / Tobacco Use
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