Creating Materials to Help Smokers Choose Evidence-Based Cessation Treatments

Background: Of the 43.4 million current smokers in the U.S., 70% say that they want to quit, and over 40% report making at least one serious quit attempt each year. But most smokers who try to quit do not use the proven treatments that could double or triple their chances of succeeding. Unfortunately, smokers in the groups and populations with the highest smoking prevalence, including low-income smokers and  those with limited formal education, are the most likely to try to quit, the least likely to use proven treatments, and the most likely to fail in their attempts.  Boosting smokers’ success by increasing their awareness of, demand for, access to, and use of effective treatments was recently identified as a priority by the Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update—Clinical Practice Guideline and previously by the NIH State-of-the-Science Conference on Tobacco Cessation, Prevention, and Control in 2006.

Program background:  The National Tobacco Cessation Collaborative (NTCC) leads a Consumer Demand Initiative to focus on this priority of building greater demand for tobacco-cessation products and services.  As discussed in NTCC-funded March 2010 American Journal of Preventive Medicine supplement entitled “Increasing Tobacco Cessation in America: A Consumer Demand Perspective,” much more needs to be done to market and promote proven cessation products and services in ways that reach smokers—especially underserved smokers. This effort ties in with Goal 1 of the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, which is to “develop and disseminate health and safety information that is accurate, accessible, and actionable.” One of the key reasons for the low use of evidence-based cessation products is that there is no standardized tool for smokers that provides objective and easy-to-understand information on cessation choices.  Just as complex dietary guidelines were initially translated for Americans in the form of the four food groups and subsequently the food pyramid, NTCC is developing tools for smokers (especially lower-income, limited formal education smokers) that sets the frame for how they should be quitting in both visual and easy-to-read text forms.  Currently, these cessation recommendations are presented inconsistently by various organizations, and often the evidence-based treatments are presented negatively by those marketing unregulated non-evidence-based treatments (such as hypnotherapy, accupunture, laser therapy, etc.).  A standardized, accurate, easy-to-use, and univerally recognized and accepted tool would create considerable progress not only in presenting smokers with their cessation options, but in combating prevalent misperceptions.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  This presentation will provide findings from research (conducted in May 2010) on the development and testing of a smoking cessation consumer tool.  It will describe and provide examples of how the consumer testing influenced the design and content of the cessation tool. 

Conclusions:  Incorporating health literacy and consumer demand strategies can greatly increase the utility and effectiveness of materials for underserved audiences.

Implications for research and/or practice: 

Copies of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine consumer demand supplement will be provided to participants to provide scientific background on the issue of building consumer demand for cessation products and services.