California Department of Public Health Celebrates 15th Anniversary of the California Smokers' Helpline.

Updated Helpline Technology Makes it Easier for Californians to Quit

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health, today celebrated the fifteen-year anniversary of the California Smokers' Helpline and debuted new Helpline features that will make it easier for California smokers to quit.

The Helpline services introduced today include an enhanced Web site with a click-to-call feature that allows users to click on an icon to speak with a trained counselor, text messaging options, and mobile billboards targeting areas with high percentages of smokers. These communication outreach techniques reflect the changing ways that Californians receive information.

"We have come a long way in reducing the number of smokers in California, but there is more work to do," Horton said. "We are providing these new information channels to enable all smokers in California to take charge of their health and become tobacco-free. The Helpline is a proven service that doubles the chance of quitting successfully."

Launched in 1992, the California Smokers' Helpline was the nation's first statewide telephone counseling service. Since its debut, the Helpline has provided free and confidential statewide telephone counseling services to nearly 430,000 Californians from diverse communities throughout the state. Quitting assistance is offered in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Korean as well as TDD for the hard of hearing.

"Smoking remains the number one cause of preventable death and disease," Horton said. "The California Smokers' Helpline is a valuable resource that can help the state's nearly 4 million smokers become tobacco-free."

Research has shown that smokers who receive telephone counseling are more likely to make a serious attempt to quit than those who rely on self-help materials. The success rate for callers who receive multiple counseling sessions is double that of those who try to quit on their own.

Currently, there are an estimated 4 million smokers in California, approximately 3.6 million adults and 200,000 smokers younger than 18. California has the lowest smoking consumption per capita in the country. Adult per capita cigarette consumption has decreased in California by almost 60 percent, from 113 packs per person in 1988 to 43 packs per person in 2006.

Further information about the California Smokers' Helpline is available at http://www.NoButts.org or 1-800-NO-BUTTS.

General Facts on the California Smokers' Helpline

Nearly two-thirds (64.1 percent) of callers to the Helpline are between the ages of 18 and 44. Over two-thirds, 69.4 percent, of Helpline callers have Medi-Cal/government insurance or no insurance coverage. The percentage of female Helpline callers between the ages of 18 and 45 who are pregnant is 8.6 percent. 18.7 percent of Helpline callers report having children between the ages of 0 and 5. Approximately half of callers report that they heard about the Helpline through the state's media campaign, with a referral rate of 50.9 percent. 28.7 percent of callers report being referred by a health care provider. In its first 15 years of operation, the Helpline has provided services to nearly 430,000 Californians.

California African American - Specific Data

African Americans are actively using the Helpline. They account for 7.6 percent of smokers in the state but 13.5 percent of callers to the Helpline. Nearly half (47.2 percent) of African American callers report having Medi-Cal/government insurance, while 21.1 percent report having no insurance. Of African American callers, only 3.3 percent are proxies (nonsmokers calling on behalf of a family member or friend who smokes). 21.3 percent of African American men and 17.4 percent of African American women smoke. In comparison, the general adult population in California smoked at a rate of 13.3 percent in 2006.

California Hispanic - Specific Data

Hispanic/Latino smokers make up 15.8 percent of all Helpline callers, roughly equaling their percentage among all smokers in California. While health care providers referred 28.7 percent of Helpline callers overall, only 20.1 percent of Hispanic callers reported hearing about the Helpline from a health care provider. Spanish-speaking callers to the Helpline on average are young; 79.9 percent are between the ages of 18 and 44. Sixteen percent of Hispanic adult men smoke, while only 7.2 percent of Hispanic adult women smoke. The general California population smoked at a rate of 13.3 percent in 2006.

California Asian - Specific Data

While 10.8 percent of smokers in California are Asian, only 6.2 percent of Helpline callers are from Asian communities. The Asian language lines are well-utilized; however, English-speaking Asians are underrepresented among Helpline callers. English-speaking Asians make up 7.7 percent of the state's daily smokers, but only about 3.2 percent of Helpline callers. Asians have the highest percentage rate of proxy callers (nonsmokers calling on behalf of a family member or friend who smokes) when compared to other groups, at 25.3 percent. The group with the next highest rate is Hispanics, at 9.5 percent. Only 11.6 percent of Asian callers report hearing about the Helpline from a health care provider. 39.6 percent of Asian callers have no insurance, second only to Hispanic callers at 44.1 percent. While Asian males smoke at a higher rate, Asian women are more likely to be proxy callers. Asian adult males smoke at a rate of 14.9 percent, while the smoking rate of Asian adult females is 5.3 percent.

California Korean - Specific Data

Males represent 72.2 percent of callers to the Korean language line, while females represent 27.8 percent of the callers. 49.7 percent of Korean speaking callers are between the ages of 18- and 44-years-old.

California Mandarin/Cantonese - Specific Data

59.6 percent of Mandarin- or Cantonese-speaking callers are male, while 40.4 percent are female. More than half (58.7 percent) of the Mandarin- or Cantonese-speaking callers are between the ages of 18 and 44.

California Vietnamese - Specific Data

72.6 percent of Vietnamese-speaking callers are male, while 27.4 percent are female. Approximately half (50.5 percent) of Vietnamese-speaking callers are between the ages of 18 and 44. When compared to other language groups, Vietnamese-speaking callers have the highest representation of smokers ages 65 and over, at 8.9 percent.