Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116831

JH Facelle, MD, MPH¹, Una Diffley, MPH², Jill Dunkel, MS², Maryanne Ferrara, MS², and Lisa Lieberman, PhD, CHES³. (1) Commissioner of Health, Rockland County Dept. of Health, 50 Sanatorium Road, Pomona, NY 10970, (2) Department of Health Education, Rockland County Dept. of Health, 50 Sanatorium Road, Building J, Pomona, NY 10970, (3) Healthy Concepts, 29 Ardsley Drive, New City, NY 10956, 845 638-1619, LLhealth@optonline.net

Rockland County, NY enjoys moderate declining rates of adult smoking, 15.4% of respondents to the 2003 annual random survey and 13.8% in 2004. More than three quarters of Rockland smokers are “thinking of quitting”, with 47% having made at least one serious quit attempt in the past year. Smoking rates for low-income and underserved sub-groups are considerably higher than the countywide rates. The data support the need for “Put It Out Rockland” (PIOR), a free comprehensive adult cessation program, specifically reaching out to underserved groups. An innovative achievement in government and community collaboration, the Health Department created PIOR with Master Settlement dollars and ongoing financial support from county government. PIOR has helped the county meet increased demand for cessation services since passage of NY's tough smoke-free worksite legislation in 2003. Financial commitment to rigorous evaluation has enabled staff to improve the program's effectiveness and garner continued funding from government leaders. In two years, 578 smokers registered for the PIOR program, with 71% completing the program. First year data suggested that tailored patch dosing and longer term patch use (10 weeks instead of 8) yielded higher long-term quit rates. Thus patch dosing and duration were modified in the second year. With high telephone follow-up rates, quit rates were 56% at 3 months, 42% at six months, and 46% at one year. Using conservative estimates in which all persons not reached were calculated as smokers, quit rates remained high: 50% at three months, 34% at six months, and 30% at one year.

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