As Ohio’s Tobacco 21 law is now in effect and the Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program would like to remind physicians and other healthcare providers that Ohioans of all ages have a variety of FREE tobacco cessation options available. The My Life, My Quit program is especially designed for nicotine users under age 18 and the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line is available to any Ohio resident over 18.
- It is accessible by calling 1-800-QuitNow, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Services are offered by trained coaches that offer telephonic tobacco cessation treatment.
- Up to eight weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is available; one two-week dose is shipped after each call (up to four times). Participants have their choice of patches, gum, or lozenges. NRT is not provided to participants under
- Participants can opt into text messaging and chose general themes, or messages can be targeted for several different chronic diseases.
- After several years of limited eligibility, the program is now open to ALL Ohioans regardless of insurance status.
- There is a special protocol for pregnant women:
- Participants have the same coach for all scheduled calls
- Increased number of calls (10 five)
- Incentives for call completion
- $20 in prenatal period
- $30 in postnatal period
- Follows participants up to six months after delivery, a time when relapse is common
- Pregnant women must have medical release for NRT.
- Consumers of ANY tobacco or nicotine products may enroll.
Callers to the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line can expect to first speak with a trained tobacco cessation and coach/counselor. An intake questionnaire, asking participants about tobacco use habits and past quit attempts as well as demographics, is collected. The first coaching call takes place at first call unless callers opt out. The full protocol offers five proactive, scheduled calls with additional, unlimited “as needed” calls encouraged.
Patients may be referred to the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line via an online portal, by clicking on the “Healthcare Providers” tab at www.ohio.quitlogix.org. Physicians and other health care providers can increase engagement of their patients by screening for quit readiness before making the referral, sharing what to expect, letting patients know to expect a call from 855.261.2640. To further increase the likelihood of engagement, it’s prudent to suggest the patient program number that will be calling into their cellular phone.
The use of telephonic tobacco cessation services is a research-validated best practice. A 2013 Cochrane review[i] of 77 controlled trials with more than 85,000 participants revealed patients were 27% more likely to quit using telephonic cessation versus self-help only. The literature also suggests a dose response in that those completing more sessions were 32% more likely to quit. Further, use of NRT increases likelihood of quitting by 14% when combined with telephone counseling.
As part of program evaluation efforts, ODH uses an independent evaluator to contact participants seven months after enrollment. A report is sent to ODH every six months, with the most recent (August 2019) reported quit rate for all participants being 37.2%. This is significantly higher than the self-guided participant quit rate of 17.2%, collected by ODH’s evaluator using the same methodology.
To address the growing nicotine dependence of young people, Ohio and several other states recently partnered to launch an enhanced tobacco cessation program for teens who want to stop using tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes and vapes. The My Life, My Quit program was developed by National Jewish Health (Ohio’s Quit Line vendor since 2003) in partnership with youth mental health and addiction expert Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, of Stanford University. Throughout the program, teens work with coaches who listen and understand their unique needs, provide personalized support, and help them build a quit plan to become free from nicotine.
- Free and confidential help is available from a quit coach specially trained to listen to teens, help teens navigate social situations that involve tobacco or vaping, and find healthy ways to cope with stress.
- Teen-focused messages are included in promotional and educational materials – created with youth input – that encourage teens to quit vaping or using tobacco.
- Five coaching sessions are included via live text messaging or by phone on a dedicated toll-free number (855.891.9989) or online chat.
- Simplified online and mobile program registration is available to get teens to a coach quicker.
- Dedicated teen website is available at mylifemyquit.com with online enrollment, live chat with a coach, information about vaping and tobacco, and activities to support quitting and stress relief.
- Ongoing text messages are included for encouragement throughout the quit process.
- Participants receive a certificate of program completion.
ODH funds several local programs to address tobacco. Those interested in learning more, or to submit a request for free tobacco cessation promotional materials, may contact tobaccoprevention@odh.ohio.gov.
[i] Stead LF, Hartmann-Boyce J, Perera R, Lancaster T. Telephone counselling for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 8. Art. No.: CD002850. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002850.pub3.