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ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY-BASED SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAM ACHIEVES HIGH SUCCESS RATES
Half the Participating Smokers Quit and Stayed Quit - Twice the Average Success Rate of Smoking Cessation Programs
Los Angeles, Calif. - A smoking cessation program developed specifically for entertainment industry workers who smoke and want to quit achieved high success rates, according to a study released online today in the American Journal of Health Behavior. Half of those who took part in the program quit and stayed quit, which is twice the average success rate of traditional smoking cessation programs.
The American Legacy Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) worked together with Los Angeles Clinical Trials and later the Mayo Clinic to develop and pilot a multi-component program - providing access to convenient tobacco cessation treatment - that was tailored to entertainment industry employees’ needs. Anecdotal data suggest that smoking rates among actors and production workers are well above the California average. Focus groups were conducted with industry employees to determine how best to structure the program, with concerns such as flexible hours to accommodate the unconventional schedules often found on TV and film sets taken into account.
Dubbed "Hollywood Quits," the program integrated smoking cessation techniques that have proven to be effective in other studies. Individual or group quit smoking counseling was offered during both daytime and evening hours at the work-site of one major industry employer (Warner Bros. Entertainment) and at several health centers (run by the Motion Picture & Television Fund, known as MPTF), as well as by telephone. Smoking cessation medications (Zyban® and nicotine replacement therapy) were provided to smokers for a low co-payment cost.
Utilizing behavioral counseling and the use of medication, while at the same time eliminating many common barriers to treatment, proved to be a highly effective smoking cessation approach for entertainment industry workers. According to the article, more than 50 percent of the 470 participants in the program reported staying quit after six months of their last cigarette. The study also found:
- Smoking cessation medication use was high, with 95 percent of participants using at least 1 smoking cessation medication as part of their treatment plan.
- The majority of participants used a combination of smoking cessation medications.
- The use of multiple medications was associated with higher abstinence rates.
- The rates of referral and enrollment into the program were encouraging, which suggests that intensive programs with flexible treatment options that are fully integrated into a health center or worksite may reduce barriers associated with pursuing treatment.
MPTF health center program participants were recruited primarily through physician referrals. The fact that a physician asked about a person’s smoking status, offering advice about quitting, and facilitating the smoker’s referral into the treatment program appeared to be other reasons underlying the program’s success.
"Our hope is that the success of ‘Hollywood Quits’ will spur employers in other industries around the country to consider offering similar services to their workers who smoke and want to quit," said Cheryl G. Healton, Dr. P.H., President and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation. "Hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved as a result," Healton added.
Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) CEO Lisa Paulsen said, "We are thrilled to have played such an integral role in developing this successful program to help entertainment industry workers and their families quit smoking for good. This state-of-the-art smoking cessation program - renamed ‘Picture Quitting’ - continues to help people in our industry lead healthier lives."
"We know it’s tough to quit smoking, but this study illustrates that having an array of treatment options available makes it much more likely that a person will succeed," said Mitchell Nides, Ph.D., President of Los Angeles Clinical Trials and Director of ‘Picture Quitting.’ "We’ve been overwhelmed by the tremendous support from the entertainment community, which has provided the necessary resources to help us expand this successful program."
The study of the Hollywood Quits program covered the period from January, 2004 to June, 2005. Hollywood Quits was designed to utilize evidence-based methods for initial and long-term cessation using counseling, follow-up and pharmacotherapy for up to one year to employees. The American Legacy Foundation funded the medication and counseling. The foundation and EIF worked with the Motion Picture & Television Fund and Warner Bros. Entertainment to deliver the services to employees participating in the respective health care programs.
The American Legacy Foundation® is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the foundation develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation’s programs include truth®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth smoking; EXSM, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use; and a nationally-renowned program of outreach to priority populations. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Visit www.americanlegacy.org.
The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), as a philanthropic leader of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars -- and provided countless volunteer hours -- to support charitable initiatives addressing critical health, education and social issues. Hollywood Unfiltered, the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Initiative To Reduce Tobacco’s Influence, is committed to working from within the industry to reduce tobacco’s negative consequences. The Picture Quitting smoking cessation program (formerly known as Hollywood Quits) is part of this effort. Additionally, EIF, in conjunction with industry partners, conducts the Hollywood Unf
iltered educational program. The mission of Hollywood Unfiltered is to inform all of those in the entertainment industry about the impact on-screen smoking has on young people and encourage them to take action to reduce the incidence of on-screen smoking. Visit www.eifoundation.org and www.hollywoodunfiltered.com.
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