March 25, 2010

Dear Partners,

This month I would like to share with you some of the exciting news reported in the supplement to the latest issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.  The supplement is called “Increasing Tobacco Cessation in America: A Consumer Demand Perspective.”  This topic is very important to ACTTION and our partners.  As the editors say in their introduction, “The articles and commentaries in this supplement reflect the view that if we could increase consumer demand for evidence-based tobacco cessation products and services, many more people would attempt to quit, and would succeed in doing so.” 

In 2005 and 2006, three Consumer Demand Roundtable meetings were held, followed by a National Conference the next year. These Roundtable meetings focused on:
• Generating new ways of thinking about increasing demand for evidence-based tobacco cessation products and services.
• Identifying and moving forward innovations in product design, promotion, research funding, practice and policy that could significantly improve the use and impact of current evidence-based treatments.

Following up on the work of the Consumer Demand Roundtable, the 20 papers in the supplement describe concrete steps that can be taken to make cessation services more appealing and accessible to smokers.

Topics addressed in this important supplement include descriptions of interventions to increase consumer demand for cessation services and to reduce disparities in accessibility; ways to make programs more appealing; ways to institutionalize consumer-oriented programs; and ways to evaluate progress and success.  I commend these articles to you.  Many of them include programs you can use to expand the reach of your efforts to increase use of cessation services. [American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2010, 3(S)]

This issue of ACTTION newsletter also continues the discussion begun last month on the appropriate role for harm reduction using e-cigarettes as the point of departure.  This month’s spotlight looks at the issue more broadly.  Again, we encourage you to comment and provide your perspective on this important discussion.

Regards,
Diane Canova
Vice President for Policy and Programs
Partnership for Prevention