Frequently Asked Questions about the Helpline
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What is the Arizona Smokers’ Helpline?
The Arizona Smokers’ Helpline is a free telephone-based counseling, information, and referral system for Arizona residents who want to quit using tobacco products. The Helpline is a project under the Division of Health Promotion Sciences in the University of Arizona College of Public Health in Tucson, Arizona.
When was the Helpline created?
The Helpline was created in 1995 by the Arizona Program for Nicotine and Tobacco Research at the University of Arizona.
Who funds the Helpline?
The Helpline has been funded by the Tobacco Education and Prevention Program of the Arizona Department of Health Services since February 1996. A small portion of Arizona’s 58-cent-per-pack tobacco tax funds the Helpline. Since the Helpline is funded through the tobacco tax, Helpline counseling and self-help materials are free to Arizona residents.
How much does the Helpline cost?
The Helpline’s cost per client has been broken down by client type. In FY 99-00, the Helpline's cost per Information Only Client was $17.95 per person, and the cost per Counseling Client was $312.71 per person. To put these costs into perspective, they can be compared to the thousands of dollars it costs to treat someone with lung cancer or emphysema. The current overall budget for the Helpline and related Internet Services is approximately $1.3 million annually.
How many people have quit as a result of Helpline services?
The Helpline's FY 99-00 overall quit rate for counseling clients is 25.3% at one month; the quit rate for clients who have Helpline support plus nicotine replacement therapy is 47.4% at one month. It has been estimated that 2-3% of smokers are able to successfully quit on their own without behavioral support or nicotine replacement therapy.
What else is funded by the tobacco tax?
The largest portion of the tobacco tax goes to fund health care for indigent patients with tobacco-related diseases. The Tobacco Education and Prevention Program (TEPP) administers the funds which support statewide tobacco-use prevention and cessation services (including the Helpline) and related advertising. A very small percentage of the tobacco tax funds tobacco-related research through the Arizona Disease Control Research Commission (ADCRC). Arizona voters determined how the tax should be spent when the tax was initially passed.
Has Arizona’s tobacco control program been effective?
Yes. Smoking rates in Arizona decreased significantly between 1996 and 1999. The overall smoking rate in Arizona dropped from 23.1% to 18.3%, according to figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Arizona currently has one of the lowest smoking rates in the United States. According to a May 24, 2001 press release from the Arizona Department of Health Services, “The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] report concludes that adequately funded programs like Arizona’s that incorporate components of CDC’s Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs ‘not only can reduce the rate of smoking but also can reduce health disparities in cigarette use and increase the number of health professionals who advise their patients to stop smoking—in as little as three years time.’ The CDC report noted that after Arizona instituted its anti-tobacco program, smoking prevalence declined for women, men, whites and Hispanics.”
Has Arizona’s tobacco control program been effective in reducing tobacco use among teens?
According to the CDC, 34.5% of U.S. high school students and 15.1% of middle school students currently use some form of tobacco. Arizona statistics show a decrease in tobacco use among high school students and middle school students between 1997 and 2000. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, the tobacco use rate among high school students decreased from 31.3% in 1997 to 24.6% in 2000, and the middle school rate decreased from 18.7% to 11.4%. Additionally, between 1996 and 1999, there was a 17% increase in tobacco use among 18-24 year olds nationally, but there was a 24%decrease in tobacco use among 18-24 year olds in Arizona. These young adults would have been in middle school or high school when the ADHS-funded Smelly Puking Habit media campaign started in 1996.
What is the cost of tobacco use to the State of Arizona?
Tobacco use costs Arizona $1.1 billion annually in medical expenses. There are 2345 deaths per year from smoking-related cancers and 2260 deaths per year from smoking-related cardiovascular diseases. 76,156 years of potentially productive life are lost due to smoking (1998 ADHS report).
Who pays for the Helpline advertising?
Helpline advertising is funded under a separate contract with the Tobacco Education and Prevention Program of the Arizona Department of Health Services. The advertising also is funded by Arizona's 58-cent-per-pack tobacco tax. The Helpline does not do its own advertising.
Who calls the Helpline?
Although Helpline callers range in age from 9 to 90 years, the average age is 35-45 years. Most Helpline clients are English-speaking, Caucasian smokers. Although caller demographics vary depending upon the advertising, more Helpline callers are women (53.5%). In terms of ethnicity in FY 00-01, 63.3% of Helpline clients were Caucasian; 30% Hispanic; 1.9% African-American; 0.8% Native American; 0.9% Asian American; 1% other ethnicity; 2.2% no response.
What do callers receive when they call the Helpline?
All callers who complete a confidential demographic questionnaire receive an intensive cessation intervention, referral to local cessation services in their community, and mailed self-help information (which includes a Helpline self-help Quit Guide, a congratulations letter, a fact sheet on tobacco’s price, a fact sheet on secondhand smoke, a Helpline personal pocket guide, a Helpline magnet, and a local services brochure). Hispanic callers receive bilingual materials. The Helpline has a collection of tailored fact sheets that are used to customize the packets to address the clients’ particular needs.
What services does the Helpline provide?
Helpline clients are categorized as questions/advice only, information only, information and referral, counseling, or currently quit. The first group calls for advice or for answers to simple questions; they do not identify themselves. Information Only Clients complete a simple questionnaire and receive mailed self-help materials; Information and Referral Clients also receive referrals to local services. They are encouraged to call back if they need further assistance. Counseling Clients receive pre-quit and long-term telephone support after their quit date, in addition to self-help materials and referral information. Currently quit clients are those who have quit tobacco on their own and call the Helpline for relapse prevention counseling to help them stay off tobacco.
The Helpline also has E-mail services (ashline1@u.arizona.edu) and a Website (www.ASHLine.org). The Website has many interactive exercises to help people quit and also includes the Helpline Quit Guide and the fact sheets.
Helpline cessation advice can be accessed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week by calling the Helpline number and listening to pre-recorded cessation messages or requesting FAXed Helpline messages. This is a very popular service for people who want anonymous information.
Does the Helpline have special services for youth who want to quit?
Helpline counselors tailor their advice to youth callers. Helpline also has a youth oriented self-help fact sheet that is mailed with the Quit Guide. For youth who are caught using tobacco and cited by police, the Helpline has the Youth Diversion Program. Courts and schools statewide refer youth to the Youth Diversion Program for counseling related to tobacco use and other lifestyle choices. The Helpline collaborates with local tobacco control projects, which offer health education community presentations geared toward youth tobacco-use prevention and cessation.
Does the Helpline have special services for pregnant women who want to quit?
The Helpline has a tailored protocol for pregnant clients. The Helpline counselors offer tailored advice to pregnant callers, and they are mailed pregnancy and breastfeeding self-help fact sheets along with the Quit Guide. The Helpline has a proactive referral pilot project with Mohave County WIC offices. Clinicians intervene with pregnant WIC clients and new mothers to encourage them to quit smoking. They obtain client consent and the Helpline calls them back to offer help.
What is the client case load for each counselor?
This varies depending upon how long the counselor has been at the Helpline, if the counselor is full or part-time, and if the counselor is a designated Spanish counselor. Helpline has fewer Spanish speaking clients. An average case load for a fulltime counselor is between 90 and 150 clients.
