Wednesday, February 27, 2002

Quit Line sees success in local district

The state's first tobacco Quit Line program has seen phenomenal success, according to state officials, with more than 8,000 calls in the first two months.

During Unite Georgia's first year more than $5 million has been put into local community efforts to prevent tobacco use.

Quit Line is a resource that provides counseling, screening, support and referral services for all Georgia residents age 18 or older and concerned parents of adolescents using tobacco. When a tobacco user calls the Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP, a counselor conducts an initial interview to determine substance usage and willingness to quit.

"Georgians are reaping the benefits of tobacco cessation activities," said Natasha Howard, LaGrange Health District Tobacco Program coordinator. "Through the comprehensive program that includes the secondhand smoke campaign, Quit Line and community education programs, we hope the number of Georgians using tobacco will continue to decrease."

The Lagrange Health District helped launch the Quit Line. Since its introduction, 517 of the district's residents called seeking help to quit using tobacco. The district includes Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Henry, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup and Upson counties.

In the first two months since the launch, Georgia's Quit Line, one of the most comprehensive in the country, has received more than 8,000 calls from Georgians who have requested help in quitting tobacco use. Its highest call volume for a single day came Jan. 3, when many Atlantans were snowed in just over 600.

Miriam Philby, Group Health Cooperative's project manager for the Quit Line, says that Georgians are ready to quit when they call, listen to advice from the counselors and are anxious to learn more about tobacco and their own health. Group Health Cooperative, based in Seattle, manages Quit Lines for several states in addition to Georgia.

"The Georgia strategy has taken a more positive and supportive tone that is empowering to residents," Philby said. "The Georgia callers are very willing to enter into a comprehensive program and like the idea of individual counseling."

A recent report of consumer tracking research shows that Georgia's tobacco education media campaign, Unite Georgia, is making measurable and significant progress in its first eight months. According to researcher Troy Nottingham of Slingshot Research and Brand Strategy, awareness of advertising regarding the negative health effects of secondhand smoke increased from 4 percent to 52 percent. Nottingham also said the proportion of smokers who do not enjoy smoking and plan to quit has increased from 13 percent to 18 percent.

In addition to the media campaign and Quit Line launch, more than $150,000 in mini-grants were awarded to the following recipients: Alpha Multi-Purpose Center, Boys & Girls Club of West Georgia, Coleman Community Health Center, Communities in School in Troup County, Coweta Community Corrections, Keystone After School Program, LaGrange High School, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Neweta Club of the National Association of Negro and Professional Women, The Shepherd's Sword, Girl Scouts of Pine Valley, Troup County Parks & Recreation, Troup Family Connection, Twin Cedars Youth Services and several county health departments.

Secondhand smoke initiatives included a program with the Boys & Girls Club of West Georgia to promote smoke-free vehicles. Youth initiatives included a partnership with Troup County Parks & Recreation to restrict smoking at youth sports events and a partnership with LaGrange High School to mentor middle school students about tobacco use prevention. The Youth Tobacco Survey was conducted in district middle and high schools.

"The community programs are essential to providing education to our youth about the dangers of tobacco use," said Howard. "It is only through a concerted and comprehensive effort that we can reach these young people before they start using tobacco."

Twenty-four percent of Georgia adults smoke and nearly 22 percent smoke in the LaGrange Health District. An estimated 30,000 Georgia children begin smoking each year and another 10,000 begin to use spit tobacco. Tobacco drains $2 billion in healthcare costs from Georgia's economy every year.

Few smokers achieve abstinence in an initial quit attempt. More than 70 percent of the 50 million U.S. smokers have tried to quit, and 46 percent of smokers try to quit each year. About 10,000 people die in Georgia every year from tobacco-related illnesses that's more than all the deaths from alcohol, cocaine, heroin, AIDS, murder, suicide, auto accidents and fires combined.

In 1998, Georgia was awarded $4.8 billion as one of 46 states in a landmark settlement against major tobacco companies, receiving the first allocation of $150 million during the 2000 legislative session. Of that, $87 million funded health-related projects and $15.8 million was earmarked to fund tobacco use prevention, including the hiring of TUPS staff members in each of Georgia's 19 health districts to implement community-based prevention programs. For additional information, visit www.unitegeorgia.com.