56 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • MAY 3, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Millions of smokers go online for help to quit each year
Th e internet is the fi rst place many people
go to get information on how to quit
smoking. In fact, more than 12 million
U.S. adults - a third of all smokers - turn
to the internet for help quitting each year,
according to a new Truth Initiative study.
Published in Nicotine & Tobacco
Research, the study examined data from
the National Cancer Institute Health
Information National Trends Survey to
determine how many U.S. adult smokers
searched online for help to quit smoking
from 2005 to 2017.
Researchers found that the number of
smokers who searched online for information
on quitting tobacco more than
doubled over the past 12 years, from 16.5
percent in 2005 to 35.9 percent in 2017.
In 2017, an estimated 12,434,691 U.S.
smokers searched online for quit smoking
information. Th e fi ndings underscore
the role of internet resources in tobacco
control eff orts and how they can impact
public health.
“Given the ability to reach roughly onethird
of all smokers, and demonstrated
eff ectiveness that is comparable to
other recommended forms of cessation
treatment, internet interventions have
the potential for substantial impact on
population quit rates,” said Dr. Amanda
Graham, research investigator at the
Truth Initiative Schroeder Institute and
lead author of the study.
Previous research has shown that internet
based programs can help smokers
quit. One study found that web-based
programs can be just as eff ective at helping
smokers quit as face-to-face or telephone
counseling, and are more eff ective than
print materials. Other research shows that
online quit-smoking resources may be a
viable option for connecting with young
adult smokers who want to quit.
BecomeAnEX.org, a digital quit-smoking
program developed by Truth
Initiative in collaboration with Mayo
Clinic, demonstrates the eff ectiveness of
online programs. Research shows that
following the EX program quadruples a
smoker’s chance of quitting. Additional
research found that smokers who became
more socially connected were signifi cantly
less likely to be smoking three months
aft er they enrolled.
Courtesy BPT