Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline Services Provided - FY2008

In August 2003, the Board of Directors launched the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (1-800-QUIT-NOW), a professional, telephone-based tobacco cessation counseling service provided at no charge to Oklahomans who want to quit using tobacco.By FY2009, the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline has served more than 100,000 Oklahomans.

Oklahomans Served FY2008

• 21,545 Oklahoma tobacco users registered for Helpline services.  In addition, 161 health care providers and 497 family or friends of tobacco users received information to assist their patients and loved ones.
• Registrants called from all 77 of Oklahoma’s counties and from 33 of 38 federally-recognized Native American tribes in Oklahoma.
• 3,835 tobacco users who registered for Helpline services enrolled in the single-call counseling program. 16,667 tobacco users who registered enrolled in the multiple-call counseling program. 
• 10,693 tobacco users received the multiple call intervention plus 8 weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) while 2,769 tobacco users received the multiple call intervention plus 2 weeks of NRT.
• Among those served, 77.4% were white; 7.6% were African American; 10.5% were American Indian; and 3.2% were Hispanic.
• Nearly two-thirds of all callers to the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline are female.
• 239 tobacco users were pregnant. An additional 213 women were planning pregnancy and 57 were breast-feeding mothers.
• 55% of registrants had incomes less than $20,000.
• 59% of registrants had a high school education or less.

Program Results

• 96% of Helpline participants were satisfied with Helpline services and would recommend the Helpline to others.
• A year after contacting the Helpline, 30.6% of those in the multiple-call program and 7.5% of those in the single-call program quit tobacco.  By comparison, the ‘cold turkey’ quit rate is only 5%.
• Helpline participants receiving both the multiple-call program and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) had the highest quit-rates at the seven month follow-up, 44.4% for 2 week NRT and 38.3% for 8 week NRT.

For more information, contact Sjonna Paulson, Communications Director or Tracey Strader, Executive Director, Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, (405) 525-8738, toll-free (866) 530-TSET, www.tset.ok.gov.