May 26, 2006
Number of Callers to Tobacco Quit Line Tops 10,000
The Montana Tobacco Quit Line celebrated its second anniversary in May with an announcement that it has fielded more than 10,000 calls and helped 32 percent of callers who got both counseling and free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to quit using tobacco.
Quit Line administrators also announced that, effective May 20, the service has doubled the amount of free NRT it will provide to callers, from two weeks’ worth to four. The benefit can save smokers and chewers up to $100.
The free Quit Line is a partnership between the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program (MTUPP) of the state Department of Public Health and Human Services and the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver.
“We’ve been very successful bringing callers to the Quit Line,” said Stacy Charlesworth, cessation specialist with MTUPP. “In the past two years, we’ve reached 7 percent of the smoking population in Montana--more than 10,000 of the estimated 147,000 smokers in the state. That’s about double the reach of state Quit Lines on average.”
“Using the Quit Line has been shown to be seven times more effective than quitting on your own,” added Linda Lee, supervisor of MTUPP.
Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death in the nation. According to MTUPP, nearly 1,400 deaths a year in Montana result from tobacco use and about 70 percent of Montana smokers, when asked, say they want to quit.
About a quarter of the referrals to the Quit Line come from Montana health-care providers, according to Lee. Quit Line administrators hope these numbers will increase given a recent push to educate physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, dentists, and other health-care professionals in the state.
Quit Line administrators also expect to see a jump in calls related to the doubling of the nicotine replacement therapy benefit.
“The increase in the free NRT will help in at least two ways,” Lee said. “We expect more people to call the Quit Line for help, and the increased NRT gives people an even better chance of quitting successfully.”
Participants who enroll in the Montana Quit Line get a package of benefits that includes free and personalized counseling from experienced counselors, self-help materials, and free NRT (nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges).
The Quit Line is open Mondays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The toll-free number is 866-485-QUIT.
For more information about the Quit Line, contact Charlesworth at 406-444-3138 or SCharlesworth@mt.gov.
Page last updated: 06/13/2006
