Impact of a brief telephone referral on quitline use, quit attempts and abstinence

Quitline use can prompt quit attempts and promote abstinence among smokers, but rates of use are low and outcomes of brief quitline referrals unclear. In this study, a brief intervention was delivered to smokers who expressed motivation to quit in the next 30 days (N = 221) to encourage use of their state quitline. Correlates of quitline use were examined, and quitline callers versus non-callers were compared on the following outcomes at 2-month follow-up: cessation medication use, quit attempts and abstinence. Of the 221 smokers given a quitline referral, 34% called the quitline. Baseline motivation alone distinguished quitline callers from non-callers. Quitline use was positively associated with use of cessation medication, an association that remained robust even after adjusting for baseline motivation to quit. A trend was observed in which callers were marginally more likely than non-callers to report both a 24-h quit attempt and 7-day point prevalence abstinence. Relative to non-callers, callers also endorsed greater confidence to quit and increased self-efficacy to resist smoking temptations at follow-up. This study demonstrates a minimal intervention can promote acceptance of quitlines and favorable cessation outcomes among smokers motivated to quit.