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Marking an important milestone in efforts to help over 45 million U.S. adult smokers quit, 1-800-QUIT-NOW—the number to call to reach The Louisiana Tobacco Quitline as well as the national, toll-free number for free help kicking tobacco—recently celebrated its one millionth call.
Since it began in November 2004, 1-800-QUIT-NOW has routed one million callers to their respective state quitlines, including calls to Louisiana. Quitlines are telephone-based services that help smokers quit through counseling, information, self-help materials and, in some instances, nicotine replacement therapy.
Calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW are free and offer confidential advice and support to Louisiana residents, ages 13 and older, which are interested in, or ready to quit, smoking. Certified counseling is available in English, Spanish and other languages, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to help callers conquer their addiction to nicotine.
Each year in the United States, tobacco use is responsible for one in every five deaths and nearly $200 billion in health care costs and lost productivity, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The single best step that a smoker can take to protect his or her health—and that of nonsmoking family members—is to quit smoking,” said Matthew McKenna, M.D., M.P.H., director, CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health.
“Quitting smoking has immediate as well as long-term benefits, including reducing risks for diseases caused by smoking such as cancer, heart disease, stroke and respiratory illnesses. Fortunately, there are now more options than ever to help someone quit using tobacco, and it’s important to remember that it’s never too late to take this important step,” said McKenna.
1-800-QUIT-NOW was developed by the National Network of Tobacco Cessation Quitlines, a dynamic collaboration among the states, CDC, National Cancer Institute (NCI) and NAQC to help tobacco users quit.
"The benefit of this national network is that it provides a single point of access for every American smoker so that they can get the tools that they need to quit tobacco." said Cathy Backinger, Ph.D., MPH, chief of NCI's Tobacco Control Research Branch.
"For this effort to succeed, collaboration was crucial. By working together, we can make a positive impact on the public's health," said Backinger.
"The one millionth call to 1-800-QUIT-NOW signifies an important event in working together to improve health among U.S. smokers," said Dr. Michael Fiore, chair of the Subcommittee on Tobacco Cessation of the Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin and director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI).
"The creation of the national quitline network was a key recommendation of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services Subcommittee on Tobacco Cessation of the Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health, which developed a comprehensive plan for preventing three million deaths and helping five million smokers quit," stated Fiore.
The Louisiana Tobacco Quitline is operated by the American Cancer Society and funded by the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living
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