Dept.
of Public Health celebrates
15th anniversary
of Smokers’ Helpline
By Globe Staff
The California
Department of Public Health recently celebrated
the 15th anniversary of the California Smokers’ Helpline
and debuted its new Helpline features that will
make it easier for California smokers to quit.
The new Helpline services
include an enhanced website with a click-to-call
feature that allows users to click on an icon to
speak with a trained counselor, text messaging
options and mobile billboards targeting areas with
high percentages of smokers.
“We have come a long way
in reducing the number of smokers in California,
but there is more work to do,” said Dr. Mark
Horton, director of the California Department of
Public Health. “We are providing these new
information channels to enable all smokers in California
to take charge of their health and become tobaccofree.
The Helpline is a proven service that doubles the
chance of quitting successfully.”
Launched
in 1992, the California Smokers’ Helpline
was the nation’s first statewide telephone
counseling service. Since its debut, the Helpline
has provided free and confidential statewide telephone
counseling services to nearly 430,000 Californians
from diverse communities. Quitting assistance is
offered in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese,
Vietnamese and Korean, as well as TDD for the hard
of hearing.
Research has shown that smokers who
receive telephone counseling are more likely to
make a serious attempt to quit than those who rely
on self-help materials. The success rate for callers
who receive multiple counseling sessions is double
that of those who try to quit on their own.
Currently,
there are an estimated 4 million smokers in California,
approximately 3.6 million adults and 200,000 smokers
younger than 18. California has the lowest smoking
consumption per capita in the country.
Adult per
capita cigarette consumption has decreased in California
by almost 60 percent, from 113 packs per person
in 1988 to 43 packs per person in 2006.
For more
information, visit www.NoButts.org or call (800)
NO-BUTTS.
