Wednesday, September 25, 2002

Quit Line scores high on survey

Georgia's tobacco users are asking for quitting help and are satisfied with the services of counselors at Georgia's Tobacco Quit Line, according to an independent survey conducted of callers.

A survey of more than 500 Quit Line callers found 87.4 percent of respondents reported that overall they were satisfied with the Quit Line, and 90.5 percent of callers would recommend the Quit Line to others. Hardwick Research of Washington conducted the random survey between February and April 2002.

Since its launch in November 2001, more than 13,000 Georgians have called the toll-free Quit Line, 1-877-270-STOP, to receive free counseling and support on how to stop tobacco use. In the LaGrange Health District, more than 1,000 people have used the Quit Line. The Quit Line is open to callers Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"Quitting tobacco use takes outside help, and quit lines have repeatedly demonstrated their value," said Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health. "The Quit Line is staffed by trained counselors who offer a choice of written self-help materials, referral to other resources and individual counseling geared to the caller's needs."

The Quit Line can be translated into 230 languages. Spanish speakers may call 1-877-266-3863.

The Quit Line, funded by the master tobacco settlement agreement, is a component of UNITE Georgia. UNITE Georgia is an initiative of the Tobacco Use Prevention Section (TUPS), DHR Division of Public Health, in partnership with the Georgia Cancer Coalition. UNITE Georgia, a state-supported and community-driven program, aims to create a better understanding and awareness of tobacco's effect on Georgia. For additional information, please visit us at www.unitegeorgia.com.

Other Quit Line Survey highlights include:

Overall satisfaction with the Quit Line
82.3 percent reported that the Quit Line was helpful to them in their quit process.

Satisfaction with specific Quit Line services
91 percent were satisfied with the registration process (when a caller first called the GAQL and inquired about services).

91.5 percent were satisfied with the Quit Line counselor.

82.3 percent were satisfied with the amount of time spent on the phone with a counselor.

91.5 percent were satisfied with materials sent by the Quit Line.

Of those individuals who received a referral to community resources, 96.2 percent reported being satisfied with the Quit Line providing a referral to community resources.

What would most improve callers' satisfaction with the Quit Line?
22.6 percent wanted the availability of more follow-up calls.

7.4 percent reported the provision of free medications (e.g., nicotine patches or gum, Zyban) to quit tobacco.

17.5 percent wanted the availability of more or better programs in their area or through their health plan to help them quit.

12.9 percent would be more satisfied if they quit successfully.