A new survey shows healthcare providers' preferences on how they communicate with New Yorkers looking to quit smoking.
The New York State Smokers’ Quitline, a free service that provides counseling to those trying to quit, recently released its 2024 Tobacco Cessation and New York State Health Care Professional survey.
The survey asked health care professionals to share their concerns and preferences for communicating with patients about quitting smoking.
Pat Bax is Marketing Coordinator at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, which performed the survey.
"We did the survey to learn from New York State licensed health care professionals about their preferences and their needs for the types of tobacco cessation resources and tobacco referring to the use of manufactured or combustible commercial products and vape products, not the sacred medicinal and traditional use of tobacco by Native American Nations and other indigenous groups, and also to find the best ways to provide those resources. Obtaining this information helps us in our marketing and outreach efforts here at the quit line," said Bax.
More than 2,500 licensed health care professionals fully completed the survey, whose findings indicate that, compared to other forms of communication, email is still the most preferred channel for health professionals to receive tobacco cessation information from the Quitline.
Tony Astran is the NY Quitline's PR and communications manager
"When you break down the responses by region and by profession, so if you're a social worker and you're working closer to the New York City area, you tend to just want the electronic information. Don't give me the handouts. Give me the electronic version. But conversely, if you're, say, a dentist or working in Central New York, maybe you want that piece of paper or brochure," Astran said.
The documents requested by healthcare providers offer a glimpse into the habits of smokers.
Astran says statewide, dentists and social workers want printed, downloadable fact sheets. He says survey respondents, especially dentists, indicated they want to see more cannabis-related materials. Astran says most Quitline participants tend to be 55 or older and smoke traditional cigarettes. But, he says, many young people are using vaping products.
"We asked if professionals wanted to see more specific patient or client materials or offerings from us pertaining to youth and young adults, and most said yes, especially nurses, especially those in the Hudson Valley, maybe not so much among physicians and pharmacists, but about, but about three quarters said yes. So of those folks, this is the real juicy nugget, which, if you've been seeing the quit line in the news lately and coverage of the survey, we then asked those people, 'OK, here's a number of different topics. Which of these, just check all that apply, expresses your views on youth and young adults.' And here was what I think was the most interesting finding of the whole survey, is that two thirds, nearly two thirds of healthcare professionals in the state believe that today's youth and young adults are experiencing a vaping epidemic," said Astran.
According to the New York State Health Department's 2022 New York Tobacco Survey, 54.8% of middle school students and 54.8% of high school students who currently vape say they want to quit.
Astran says with vaping on the rise, the Quitline encourages users to talk with their health care professionals and access available Medicaid or health insurance benefits for medication support.
New York residents can call 1-866-NY-QUITS or text QUITNOW to 333888 for coaching and resources, free of charge.
