An Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Utilization of Idaho's Tobacco Cessation Program from 2000 to 2007

Publication Date

6-2008

Type of Culminating Activity

Thesis

Degree Title

Master of Health Science, Health Policy

Supervisory Committee Chair

James T. Girvan

Supervisory Committee Member

Elizabeth (Lee) Hannah

Supervisory Committee Member

Theodore (Tedd) McDonald

Abstract

Tobacco cessation programs continue to be a vital element in decreasing the prevalence of tobacco use. Community-based interventions, in the form of in-person counseling, have been shown to increase one's ability to effectively quit. Since 2000, Idaho has offered in-person cessation counseling throughout the state to residents of all ages. The cessation program, an important element of a comprehensive state tobacco control program, has allowed Idaho to assist in thousands of tobacco users' attempts to successfully quit.

The current study examined participant data collected from the statewide cessation program between 2000 and 2007 to study the utilization and effectiveness of the program. The study utilized the Statistics Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program for the data analyses. In order to examine participation and quit rates of the people in the program, descriptive statistics regarding several variables, including age and number of years the participants had smoked, were reviewed for the total study population, youth, pregnant women, and each of the seven health districts in the state.

At the end of fiscal year 2007, nearly 13,000 tobacco users had participated in the cessation program. Overall, the program had a quit rate of 34.3% with nearly 4,500 participants reporting a successful quit. The quit rate for the youth population was nearly 45% (43.3%), and the quit rate for pregnant women was found to be 27.7%.

Recommendations were made regarding further analyses to potentially determine which variables best predict if someone will successfully quit. Other recommendations addressed increasing the collaboration among the health districts with regard to addressing tobacco cessation in certain population groups in Idaho.

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