Tuesday, April 8, 2008

If you're one of the 70 to 80 percent of the country's 45 million smokers who frequently think about quitting, public health experts want to help. Several big-name health groups, including the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society, have joined together to launch the Ex campaign.

That's Ex as in ex-smoker ( http://www.becomeanex.org), the largest national public health campaign to help smokers quit in 40 years. What distinguishes this from past anti-smoking efforts is that it focuses on how to quit, not why you should, says Cathy Backinger, acting chief of tobacco control research at the National Cancer Institute. "Smokers know the health hazards of smoking. They just don't know what it takes to quit," she said.

Most people need to use several methods, including counseling, medication and social support, says Matthew McKenna, director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All are accessible through the new Web site, which links smokers to free services in their communities. For now, Maryland, Virginia and District residents won't see an easy click linking them to local services, but they can get the same information by calling 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669.)

In 1968-70, public service announcements aimed at helping smokers quit were credited with getting 4 percent of smokers to give up the habit. But when tobacco companies subsequently dropped TV cigarette ads, funding for the PSA campaign ended, too.

-- Francesca Lunzer Kritz