7.12 Methods, services and products for quitting—self-help printed and electronic resources
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7.12.1 Self-help resources
Providing smokers with information on the harmful effects of smoking and methods of quitting has been a basic approach for more than 20 years. In Australia currently the most widely distributed resource is the booklet Quit Because You Can (often called the 'Quit Book'), written by Quit Victoria with Commonwealth funding. The content is evidence-based and covers issues on preparing to quit through to coping with setbacks after quitting. This booklet has been regularly updated since 1997 and was redeveloped in 2007. An additional resource 'Choosing the Best Way to Quit' was also developed in 2007 and provides an overview of evidence-based information on quitting. The booklet is designed to help smokers choose the most effective approach to quitting that suits their individual needs. It recommends that for most people the best way to quit is to:
- get some coaching (from the Quitline, Quit pack, group courses, the internet, or individual counselling), and
- use quitting medications (NRT or prescribed medications).
Evidence suggests these two forms of help have additive benefits.57, 249
These two resources form the central part of a pack of free print materials sent to Quitline callers on request as well as being distributed through hospitals, GPs, dentists and many other channels.
Supplementary print materials can also be included in the 'Quit Pack' to tailor information to Quitline caller needs. Examples include specific information for women, parents, adolescents, people living with illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, or mental illness, and people wanting to help a family member or friend who smokes. Information is available on nicotine replacement products or other prescribed quitting medications and on other aspects of quitting, smoking and health. Some print resources are available in a range of languages other than English.
The Quit Book has been evaluated as part of the National Tobacco Campaign. Of those who received it after calling the Quitline, 100% found it easy to understand (very or somewhat), 95% found it helpful, and 93% said they would recommend it to friends.250
More generally, research has shown that self-help materials have a small effect in terms of increased quitting success, which is slightly higher if they are tailored to the needs of the individual.251
Other self-help print materials are available, produced by a range of independent non-profit organisations and those with a commercial interest. The quality of the information these self-help materials contain varies from the excellent to the inadequate and misleading, and care needs to be taken in their selection and use. In most cases (but not all) they have little research basis, and so any claims (especially excessive claims) for success should be treated sceptically unless they are fully validated.
7.12.2 Internet resources
Many internet sites have been established to help smokers quit. As with other areas, they vary in quality and credibility from those that are comprehensive and well researched to sites set up by tobacco manufacturers. Since most are relatively new or still developing, there is a scarcity of good research and evaluation to establish their effectiveness.
A major advantage of the internet over printed material is the potential for interactivity and tailoring information to individual needs, but relatively few sites make use of this possibility. A good example of a site designed to tailor information to individual needs is the Quit Coach (www.quitcoach.org.au). The Quit Coach is an automated internet quit support program available as part of the websites of Quit Victoria and the Commonwealth's National Tobacco Campaign. It has been developed to appeal to smokers interested in quitting who do not want the direct personal contact of the Quitline. In order to tailor information to individual smokers, users begin by answering a series of questions about their smoking and quitting experience, background information, self-efficacy, pros and cons of smoking, habitual smoking situations, and stage of change. This information is used to provide relevant advice to support smokers through the process of quitting. Although the internet version has not yet been fully evaluated, the content was developed from an earlier automated system of generating letters that were mailed to smokers after an initial call to the Quitline. That system was found to increase cessation outcomes, especially by preventing relapse.252
Many state and territory based Quit organisations in Australia have their own websites, as does the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (www.quitnow.info.au, with links to Quit organisations). Some non-government tobacco control groups also have a strong internet presence although not exclusively dedicated to cessation. Manufacturers of smoking cessation products often have internet sites to inform and support the users of their products that may also provide general quitting information.
Another potential opportunity provided by the internet is to target specific groups such as young people who are mostly very familiar with information technology. OxyGen is the first Australian website dedicated to engaging and informing young people about the harms of tobacco and its use in Australia. It is a tri-state initiative of Quit Victoria, Quit South Australia and the Smarter than Smoking Program in Western Australia. More than 60% of visits to OxyGen are from young people under 18 years of age (many of whom are students). Professionals who work with youth also visit the website to access curriculum materials and support resources for influencing young people to be tobacco free.
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