THE WHY BEHIND TOBACCO CESSATION IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS | PATIENT INTERVENTIONS | OFFICE TOOLS | RESOURCES

THE WHY BEHIND TOBACCO CESSATION IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

 It’s Worth It: Talk To Your Patients 

Cigarette smoking among U.S. adults has been reduced by more than half since 1964, yet remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States.  Each year approximately 480,000 premature deaths can be attributed to smoking.¹ Cigarette smoking is identified as a cause of various cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and respiratory conditions, as well as low birthweight and other adverse health outcomes.  Currently more than 16 million Americans live with a disease caused by smoking.

Though we have seen a decline in adult tobacco users, Southern Illinois continues to see high smoking rates.  Plus, higher rates of many types of cancer are also present as compared to the state and nation.  Certain factors have been identified for greater tobacco use and 34 million American adults still smoke.³  

In addition to adults, thousands of young people start using tobacco products every day.  According to the CDC, each day, about 2000 people younger than 18 years smoke their first cigarette.  If the current rate continues among U.S. youth, 5.6 million of today’s Americans younger than 18 years of age are expected to die prematurely from a smoking-related illness. This represents about one in every 13 Americans aged 17 years or younger who are alive today. ⁴

The 2020 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking Cessation provides strong evidence that advising your patients to quit tobacco and nicotine can more than double cessation success rates. Nearly 70% of adults who smoke say they want to quit. However, over 40% of adults who smoke do not receive advice to quit from a healthcare professional and fewer than one in three adults who smoke use cessation counseling or FDA-approved medications when trying to quit. ⁸

Helping your patients quit smoking is one of the most important ways you can improve their health.  The resources and tools in this toolkit can guide you to take every opportunity to help your patients quit for good.

Getting Started in Your Practice

Tobacco dependence is a chronic condition driven by addiction to nicotine. Nicotine addiction at times takes a backseat to other substance use. However, as stated before the graph below shares that approximately 480,000 premature deaths can be attributed to smoking and still exceeds in mortality. ¹· ⁷

 As a healthcare provider, you have a unique opportunity to help patients who may be interested in quitting or influence those who have not yet thought about quitting. Here are some quick tips to get started in your practice.

1. Engage discussions with staff about their experience in asking patients to quit.
   Are there techniques that were especially helpful that staff have used to talk with patients about smoking habits? What do the staff feel are areas for improvement in addressing patient smoking? Does the staff need additional training to engage patients?

2. Consider the office environment.
   Are there visual cues (poster and brochures) for tobacco-free resources in waiting rooms and patient rooms? What messages does your office provide related to healthy behaviors and smoking?

3. Screen for smoking status and use a consistent method to track it on patient charts.
   Is cessation part of the patient’s normal intake forms and part of the patient’s electronic health record?

4. Talk with patients.
   Does your staff utilize motivational interviewing techniques to increase patients’ belief in the importance of quitting and their belief in their ability to quit?

5. Connect to community resources in Southern Illinois.
   Are you aware the Healthy Southern Illinois Delta Network has a webpage dedicated to local tobacco cessation resources? www.hsidn.org Patients can also be referred to the Illinois Tobacco Quitline (1-866-QUIT-YES). www.quityes.org