243206 Connecting the dots: Using client, service, and outcome data to evaluate Quitline services

Wednesday, November 2, 2011: 1:30 PM

Kayshin Chan, MPH , Research & Evaluation, Public Health Management Corporation, Philadelphia, PA
Janet Bargh , Division of Statistical Support, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Harrisburg, PA
Barbara Caboot , Division of Tobacco Prevention & Control, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Harrisburg, PA
Michelle Henry , Research & Evaluation, Public Health Management Corporation, Philadelphia, PA
Sarah Ingerman , Research & Evaluation, Public Health Management Corporation, Philadelphia, PA
Jennifer D. Keith, MPH , Research & Evaluation, Public Health Management Corporation, Philadelphia, PA
Jay Mast , Division of Tobacco Prevention & Control, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Harrisburg, PA
Kristin Minot, MA , Research & Evaluation, Public Health Management Corporation, Philadelphia, PA
Phyllis Zitzer , Division of Tobacco Prevention & Control, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Harrisburg, PA
Background: Since 2002, the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (PA DTPC), has provided telephone based cessation counseling through the PA Free Quitline. Callers can receive up to 5 free counseling calls, unlimited crisis support calls, and online web coaching services. Additionally, starting in 2009, three different NRT initiatives have been conducted in Pennsylvania in which eligible callers received a free 4-week kit of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) patches.

Discussion: This presentation will describe the PA Free Quitline comprehensive evaluation plan and present preliminary findings about service utilization and quit success data. Client level data such as demographic information and tobacco use characteristics will be examined for its relationship to service use and quit success. The main outcomes of interest include number of counseling calls completed, quit attempt status, and 7-month quit status. Key evaluation questions include: What are some characteristics of a typical PA Free Quitline caller? Are there predictors of client retention and quit success? How can quit success be supported? Comparative analyses on the three different NRT initiatives will also be presented to demonstrate trends in caller characteristics over time. Findings from the evaluation will help inform future NRT initiative programming and other Quitline service protocols.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Chronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
Explain how to use demographic data, service use data, and outcome data in a comprehensive Quitline program evaluation plan. Discuss how evaluation findings can be used for future program implementation

Keywords: Tobacco Control, Telehealth

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the lead evaluator for the Pennsylvania Free Quitline and has worked on the evaluation since 2009. She has worked in tobacco control program evaluation since 2008.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Evaluation of Population-Based Cessation Techniques
See more of: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs