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When Free Is Not for Me: Confronting the Barriers to Use of Free Quitline Telephone Counseling for Tobacco Dependence

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  • Christine Sheffer

    (Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
    Fay W Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA)

  • Sharon Brackman

    (Fay W Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Charnette Lercara

    (Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Naomi Cottoms

    (Walnut Street Works, Inc., Helena-West Helena, AR 72342, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Mary Olson

    (Walnut Street Works, Inc., Helena-West Helena, AR 72342, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Luana Panissidi

    (Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Jami Pittman

    (Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Helen Stayna

    (Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

Remarkable disparities in smoking rates in the United States contribute significantly to socioeconomic and minority health disparities. Access to treatment for tobacco use can help address these disparities, but quitlines, our most ubiquitous treatment resource, reach just 1%–2% of smokers. We used community-based participatory methods to develop a survey instrument to assess barriers to use of the quitline in the Arkansas Mississippi delta. Barriers were quitline specific and barriers to cessation more broadly. Over one-third (34.9%) of respondents ( n = 799) did not have access to a telephone that they could use for the quitline. Respondents reported low levels of knowledge about the quitline, quitting, and trust in tobacco treatment programs as well as considerable ambivalence about quitting including significant concerns about getting sick if they quit and strong faith-based beliefs about quitting. These findings suggest quitlines are not accessible to all lower socioeconomic groups and that significant barriers to use include barriers to cessation. These findings suggest targets for providing accessible tobacco use treatment services and addressing concerns about cessation among lower income, ethnic minority, and rural groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Christine Sheffer & Sharon Brackman & Charnette Lercara & Naomi Cottoms & Mary Olson & Luana Panissidi & Jami Pittman & Helen Stayna, 2015. "When Free Is Not for Me: Confronting the Barriers to Use of Free Quitline Telephone Counseling for Tobacco Dependence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2015:i:1:p:15-:d:61012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Varghese, M. & Sheffer, C. & Stitzer, M. & Landes, R. & Brackman, S.L. & Munn, T., 2014. "Socioeconomic disparities in telephone-based treatment of tobacco dependence," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(8), pages 76-84.
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