• The 7-month quit rate among smokers who make a supported attempt to quit smoking in the U.S. averages 29% and is usually slightly higher among New Mexicans (32-33%).
• Tracking quit rates at 7-month follow-up is important in measuring the effectiveness of cessation services and support.
• In FY18 Q4, the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program’s independent evaluator surveyed 304 QUIT NOW and DEJELO YA participants to determine their quit rates 7-months after enrollment. The Q4 quit rate for this group was 36.2%, which surpasses the quarterly target of 33%.
• Progress in Q4 was achieved through the strategic promotion of QUIT NOW services, health provider trainings, and ensuring continuous availability of the full suite of cessation services to anyone interested in quitting. In addition, once participants are enrolled, they have virtually unlimited access to quit coaching sessions, resources, materials, and free nicotine medications.
• Plans for FY19 include a detailed review of DEJELO YA (Spanish) tobacco cessation services to identify areas for quality improvement and develop a plan to implement any necessary changes. Also, we are looking to implement a new behavioral health protocol for QUIT NOW participants who have behavioral health issues to ensure that their quit coaching, materials, and follow-up consider any specific needs of this population.

• Optum Health (tobacco cessation services provider)
• Media Matched (media contractor)
• Tobacco Use Prevention and Control (TUPAC) Evaluation Team
• TUPAC statewide contractor
• Health care providers

The Guide to Community Preventive Services recommends the following interventions to reduce adult smoking:

• Increasing the unit price of tobacco products.
• Mass media campaigns in combination with other interventions.
• Multi-component cessation interventions that include telephone support.
• Health care provider reminder systems for tobacco cessation.
• Reducing client out-of-pocket costs for cessation therapies (e.g., counseling, nicotine patches, gum, lozenges).
• Smoke-free policies to reduce tobacco use.

• Develop and implement a Health Systems Change Training and Outreach Program for Tobacco Use with New Mexico Community Health Centers (CHCs) to increase CHCs’ and their providers’ ability to consistently identify tobacco users.
• Advise tobacco users to quit and refer those ready to make a quit attempt to appropriate treatment resources.

• Q1: 33% of QUIT NOW enrollees successfully quit using tobacco at their 7-month follow-up. Not met - 29.4%
• Q2: 33% of QUIT NOW enrollees successfully quit using tobacco at their 7-month follow-up. Not met - 27.0%
• Q3: 33% of QUIT NOW enrollees successfully quit using tobacco at their 7-month follow-up. Not met - 30.9%
• Q4: 33% of QUIT NOW enrollees successfully quit using tobacco at their 7-month follow-up. Met - 36.2% of QUIT NOW enrollees successfully quit using tobacco at 7-month follow-up, better than the 33.0% quarterly target.

NMDOH’s Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program served 7,350 tobacco users in FY18 through its QUIT NOW and DEJELO YA tobacco cessation services. In FY18, about 30.5% of QUIT NOW enrollees remained quit at their 7-month follow-up, a bit higher than the national average of 29% and much higher than the ‘cold-turkey’ quit rate of 7%. Sustained promotion of QUIT NOW services both locally and nationally, as well as ongoing statewide outreach and training of health care providers ensures that there is awareness of service availability and use by tobacco users who are ready to quit. The addition of more customizable services in FY18, which allow tobacco users to pick and choose service components, may have helped more of them in quitting successfully by their 7-month follow-up.