The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: Several states experienced huge tobacco control funding cuts in recent years, resulting in discontinuation of several large-scale state tobacco control programs such as in Massachusetts. The objective of this study is to examine how quit rates changed in response to changes in state tobacco control programs and funding.

Methods: Data used in this study come from a cohort of 2,462 baseline smokers in 20 US communities interviewed in 1988, 1993, 2001, and 2005. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to examine the correlation between quit rates and the average state tobacco control funding as percent of the CDC minimum, between 2001 and 2005. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare quit rates between COMMIT intervention and control communities and among states.

Results: Overall, 18% of the 2001 smokers quit smoking by 2005. The quit rate ranged from 12% in communities in New Jersey to 24% in communities in Washington State. Washington State had the highest increase of state tobacco control funding between 2000 and 2006 (37%). The Spearman's correlation coefficient between quit rates and average tobacco control funding as percent of the CDC minimum was 0.58 (P=0.10). Previously when the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program was fully funded, the quit rate in the Massachusetts communities was significantly greater than that in other communities; however, the quit rates in these communities between 2001-2005, after the program was defunded, were comparable to other community quit rates.

Conclusion: To maintain the public health effects, continuous implementation and funding for tobacco control programs are needed.