Don't be silent about smoking

The brochure was created by the New York State Department of Health as part of a social marketing campaign designed to encourage healthcare providers to do more to help their patients quit smoking. The brochure is a practical distillation of the 276 page Public Health Guidelines on Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. It makes accessible to busy clinicians the guideline's main science-based recommendations including “the 5A's” for assisting patients ready to quit and “the 5R's” for counseling those not yet ready to stop smoking. The campaign was developed with extensive input from healthcare providers, including representatives of the New York State's 19 Tobacco Cessation Centers, and focus groups of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in five cities across the state. Adult learning theory was incorporated into the development of the campaign, understanding that adults must see a reason for learning something new. The brochure was intended to stand out from the many materials clinicians receive and to provide useful reference materials that fit in the pocket of a lab coat or that can be added to a provider's medical reference cards.