New York State Quitline conducted tobacco cessation survey earlier this year; upcoming webinar on December 12 shares findings from 2,562 responses

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Dec. 9, 2024 – Are youth and young adults experiencing a vaping epidemic? According to a recent survey conducted by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo for the New York State Quitline (NY Quitline), 64 percent of licensed healthcare professionals throughout the state say yes.

The NY Quitline will explore this revelation and other insights during an upcoming webinar, titled, “Findings from the 2024 Tobacco Cessation and NYS Healthcare Professionals Survey.” The NY Quitline’s Marketing & Outreach team disseminates a survey periodically to determine healthcare professionals’ preferences and needs for types of tobacco* treatment resources and methods for disseminating information.

The upcoming webinar takes place Thursday, Dec. 12 via Microsoft Teams from 12 to 12:45 p.m. Free registration is available online at https://nysmokefree.com/newsroom. Tony Astran, the NY Quitline’s PR and communications manager, spearheaded the survey and will be the webinar’s featured presenter.

“Although most Quitline participants tend to be 55 years of age or older who smoke traditional combustible cigarettes, the Quitline also offers support for those seeking to quit the use of electronic cigarettes,” Astran said. “Our latest survey results illustrated healthcare professionals’ concerns about a new generation of addiction to nontraditional tobacco products. These findings help us continue to evolve our messaging and services.”

A total of 2,562 licensed healthcare professionals completed the entire survey. A few additional select findings include:

  • Compared to other methods of communication, e-mail (70 percent) is still overwhelmingly the most preferred for receiving tobacco cessation information. This was also the top choice in the previous three surveys conducted by the NY Quitline in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
  • Compared to other types of healthcare professions, dentists tended to respond differently to many of the survey questions. They have a greater preference for direct mail communication, believe use of cannabis is a greater concern than tobacco use among youth and young adults, and find patients less receptive to discussing tobacco cessation.
  • Social workers and mental health professionals tend to prefer attending live webinars during the morning hours, while other types of professionals such as physicians, dentists and pharmacists prefer attending live webinars at 4 p.m. or later.
  • The greater New York City region – including Long Island and the Hudson Valley – tends to have less awareness of NY Quitline support options compared to the rest of the state.

Anyone may contact the NY Quitline by calling 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) seven days a week. They can also visit nysmokefree.com to connect with a specialist through an online chat, request a call-back or order free nicotine replacement therapy medications. The NY Quitline additionally offers a free texting program to quit smoking or vaping, by texting QUITNOW (English) or DÉJELO YA NY (Spanish) to 333888.

* The term tobacco throughout this press release refers to the use of manufactured, combustible commercial products and vape products – not the sacred, medicinal and traditional use of tobacco by Native American nations and other Indigenous groups.