Reaching Young Adult Smokers Through Quitlines

Abstract

This study compared state quitline data (1992–2006) with population survey data to assess use by young adults aged 18 to 24 years. Young adult daily smokers used the service in proportion to their numbers in the state. Young adults responded to mass media quitline promotion, even promotion that did not target them. Women, ethnic minorities, and persons with low income and lower education levels were well represented among young adult quitline callers. Quitlines are a viable means of intervening with this priority population. Young adults (aged 18–24 years) are generally much less likely to seek help to quit smoking than are older adults.1,2 However, there are indications that telephone-based services may appeal to this age group.3,4 When California started a statewide smokers’ quitline in the early 1990s, for example, it was soon reported that young smokers were actively using the new service.3 Researchers questioned, however, whether this was a stable phenomenon. The California Smokers’ Helpline has been in operation since 1992 and has served more than 400 000 tobacco users. It provides services in English, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Korean, and Vietnamese free of charge to California residents. The program is promoted by the California Department of Health Services through television, radio, and print advertisements as part of its antismoking campaign. These advertisements are aired in the languages mentioned in this paragraph, but they do not specifically target young adults.5 The California Smokers’ Helpline is also promoted by county health departments, physician groups, volunteer organizations, and word of mouth. We examined the trend of young adult use of this quitline over a 14-year span and compared the characteristics of quitline users with those of smokers in the same age group in the general population.