The articles and reports below reflect in-depth information about projects critical to our work and efforts to improve quality, create sustainability, and move quitlines forward. Use the links below to navigate through this page.

Reports
Resource Guides
Key Documents for Tobacco Control and Cessation

Reports

Summary of Findings - Advancing Equity Through Quitlines: A Formative Examination to Inform the Quitline Community 
NAQC aims to increase the quality and support cultural appropriateness of quitlines in North America as a step towards health equity. NAQC interviewed key informants and facilitated dialogue among state commercial tobacco quitline funders, CDC-funded national networks, and service providers to identify quitline practices to increase reach and engagement for populations experiencing commercial tobacco-related disparities. The discussions focused on the implications of NAQC’s six prioritized best and promising practices. This summary outlines the key learnings, priority considerations, and actionable strategies.
view summary

Youth Tobacco Cessation Brief
The aim of this brief is to bring current research-based information on youth tobacco use, state quitline practices for supporting youth in quitting, and issues of importance to the quitline community going forward regarding youth tobacco cessation. The learning community aimed to find recommendations for quitlines on youth cessation services, however the available literature and quitline practice did not meet NAQC’s criteria for best and promising practices. As a result, this brief serves to provide a literature review and summary of quitline practice while also highlighting areas where additional research is needed in order to make recommendations on best practices for quitlines in youth cessation services. The re-released version of the brief includes new resources and updated data.
As an accompanying resource, we have developed an infographic that showcases national youth data that you can use when speaking to the need for quitline services and resources for youth.
view brief

Priority Practices for State Quitlines 
Building on the 2018 “ Adoption of Recommended Best Practices among State Quitlines” issue paper which identified 21 best practices from 17 issue papers, the new report identifies six high priority best and promising practices for adoption by all state quitlines by June 2023. The criteria used to identify the priority practices reflect expectations within the quitline community for improving the quality of quitline services: Increase reach; improve impact; adapt to emerging issues; be feasible; and be sustainable.
view report

Learning Community Series Report, Recommended Best and Promising Practices on Adult Vaping Cessation
This report contains recommendations to the quitline community on best or promising practices for adult vaping cessation in the areas of pharmacotherapy and counselling. This report focuses on vaping cessation for adults only, not youth, as cessation pharmacotherapy (nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion SR, and varenicline) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adults ages 18 years and over can be offered by quitlines to their participants who seek to quit use of e-cigarettes. A separate Learning Community report in 2022 will focus on youth cessation and incorporate aspects of e-cigarette use that are specific to youth ages 17 years and under.
view report

Learning Community Series Report, Recommended Best and Promising Practices on Technology-Mediated Services for Quitlines
This report contains final recommendations for Quitlines on technology-mediated services for Text, Web and Apps that are effective for improving reach, engagement, and outcomes.
view report

Cost-Sharing Brief - Medicaid Reimbursement for Quitline Pharmacy Products
This brief identifies current processes, barriers, and breakthroughs, and “ideal” processes that may be considered when state quitline funders and service providers seek Medicaid reimbursement for pharmacotherapy.
view brief

Report on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Smoking Cessation
importance of smoking cessation and the availability of no-cost services needs to be amplified. By increasing messaging while offering effective tobacco cessation services, public health and health care professionals can ensure that the health gains from tobacco cessation continue.
view report

Leveraging the 6|18 Initiative to Support Public Private (Cost-Sharing) Partnerships
The purpose of this case study is to explore and briefly describe how four states involved in NAQC’s Public Private (cost-sharing) Partnership Initiative (Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, and North Carolina) leveraged their participation in CDC’s 6|18 Initiative to advance Medicaid partnership goals.
view case study

Learning Community Series Practice Brief- Evolving Quitline Practices: Technology-Mediated Services, Youth Cessation and Vaping Cessation
This issue brief marks the first in a planned series of publications developed through NAQC’s Learning Community project, which focuses on evolving practices and emerging topics in the field of tobacco cessation quitlines.
view brief

Quality Improvement Initiative: Identifying Priority Best Practices for State Quitlines (September 2019)
Building on the 2018 “Adoption of Recommended Best Practices among State Quitlines” issue paper which identified 21 best practices from 17 issue papers, the new report identifies seven high priority best practices to help quitline increase reach and improve cessation outcomes for quitline callers, and provides guidance on implementing three of the high priority best practices.  
Full report 

Using Triage Systems to Improve Access to Cessation Services (September 2019)
Triaging callers to more comprehensive cessation services available through Medicaid or other insurers has increased the appeal of implementing triage programs. However, while the concept of triage is attractive to state quitlines due to its potential benefits of expanding access to cessation services, implementing a triage program is not an easy task and may not be feasible for all quitlines. NAQC sought to learn more about the types of triage programs that exist, the intended goals of those programs, how the programs operate, program outcomes and any lessons learned. A workgroup comprised of state quitlines, service providers and funders was established and charged with sharing their state’s experience with triage programs and lessons learned. This new report outlines the key findings of the workgroup’s discussions and presents next steps for NAQC and the quitline community to consider. 
Full report

Quitlines and Priority Populations (September 2016)
A newly released report’s purpose titled, Quitlines and Priority Populations: An Update on Our Progress to Reach and Serve Those Most Impacted by Tobacco’s Harm , is to encourage the quitline community’s commitment to providing quality outreach and treatment to tobacco users from priority populations. Quitlines are not reaching priority populations at adequate levels and many gaps remain in the literature regarding the reasons priority populations are not seeking cessation assistance from quitlines. In addition, quit rates for specific populations remains critically under-investigated. To continue to make practice-related progress toward national quitline reach and quit rate goals, quitlines should focus effort on commitment to cultural competence, administrative and evaluation support, and coordination and collaboration. Read the paper to learn about recommendations on continued actions your quitline can take.
Full report

Working to Advance Cessation Coverage among Private and Public Insurers (September 2016)
Since 2011, the North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC) has worked with nearly a dozen state tobacco control programs to increase the number of private and public insurers that provide comprehensive tobacco cessation coverage and utilize evidence-based treatment services, including quitlines. This report highlights many of the key successes, opportunities and challenges in working with employers, commercial insurers and local and state governments to improve cessation coverage. Real examples and strategies from states of every size demonstrate that partnering with public and private insurers is doable and can increase access to evidence-based cessation services. By sharing promising approaches to expanding coverage, states can learn from each other and help build a foundation of knowledge nationwide. The report ends with a summary of key elements for success.
Full report

Cessation Treatment and E-Cigarettes: A Report on Current Literature and Quitline Practices (November 2014)
In the absence of definitive research findings and lacking clinical guidelines, NAQC has synthesized the relevant literature and current quitline practices regarding e-cigarettes to share with the cessation and larger tobacco control communities. It is our hope, that the report will answer the two main questions below:

1. Given the current level of knowledge about e-cigarettes, how should quitlines respond to smokers’ questions about them?2. What are the most important actions that quitlines and NAQC can take to advance practices related to e-cigarette use among callers seeking cessation treatment?
Full report(11.9 MB; with appendices) 
Short report(752 KB; without appendices) 
Appendices(224 KB)

Brief on Contingency Planning for Quitlines
The brief is intended to serve as a quick-reference guide for three primary audiences: decision-makers within state, provincial, and federal agencies that fund quitlines; quitline service providers who offer guidance to their clients; and those who promote quitlines, either through media campaigns or referral systems. With an aim to be concise, this guidance brief draws upon previously-published resources from the North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC) in which recommendations for practice related to contingency planning are made.
view brief (PDF 522KB)

U.S. Quitlines at a Crossroads: Utilization, Budget, and Service Trends 2005-2010 (2010)
The number of tobacco users calling quitlines increased 116% between 2005 and 2009, according to the report. Despite this increase in demand, total funding for all U.S. quitlines decreased for the first time ever in Fiscal Year 2010.
view report (PDF 2.47MB)
executive summary (PDF 420KB)
talking points (PDF 223KB)
media release

Moving Quitlines Forward: North American Quitline Consortium Annual Report (2008/2009)
NAQC has just made its 2008/2009 annual report available. As part of our green initiative, printed copies of the report were only sent to each member organization's designated representative. Hard copies of the report are available upon request.
view report (PDF 423KB)

Promotion Task Force Report (2007)
The NAQC Promotion Task Force developed this report synthesizing current knowledge about the promotion of quitlines and identification of applicable action-oriented recommendations to NAQC.
view report (PDF 128KB)

Quitlines of North America and Europe (2006)
NAQC and the European Network of Quitlines (ENQ) have joined together to bring a comprehensive quitline profile publication to the public health community—a never-before-published compilation of quitline operations and services in Canada, the United States, and the European Union.
view report (PDF 510KB)

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Resource Guides

Quitline Operations: Back to Basics
NAQC's most recent resource guide offers a compilation of lessons learned from the North American Quitline Consortium’s Third Conference Call Training Series. It features topics selected based on input and feedback from members to help refocus the quitline community on the fundamentals of quitline operations. Topics include promotion, nicotine replacement therapy, evaluation strategies and even how to calculate quit rates.
view guide (PDF 7.2MB)

Quitline Operations: A Practical Guide to Promising Approaches
This guide is intended for use by anyone who is responsible for some aspect of making quitline services available to tobacco users - primarily those who fund quitlines, those who deliver the service, those who promote quitlines and those who conduct research to bring us closer to best practices - and each chapter is dedicated to a specific operations-related topic.
view guide (PDF 2.5MB)

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Key Documents for Tobacco Control and Cessation

This list is not meant to be exhaustive, and NAQC will continue to enhance it as new reports are published.

2008 Clinical Practice Guideline: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence (U.S. Public Health Service)
The updated clinical practice guideline, released in May 2008 by the U.S. Public Health Service, identifies new counseling and medication treatments effective for helping people quit smoking.
view report (PDF 2.1MB)

Related documents:
Article - American Journal of Preventive Medicine (PDF 15KB)
Guideline FAQs (PDF 29KB)
Endorsing Organizations (PDF 42KB)
NAQC Letter of Endorsement (PDF 68KB)
NAQC Press Release (PDF 76KB)

Additional information, including companion products for clinicians, are available online. Copies of the 2008 PHS guideline update products are also available by calling 1-800-358-9295.

Cochrane Review: Telephone Counseling for Smoking Cessation 
Stead LF, Perera R, Lancaster T

Cochrane Review: Internet-based Interventions for Smoking Cessation 
Civljak M, Sheikh A, Stead LF, Car J

Cochrane Review: Mobile Phone-based Interventions for Smoking Cessation 
Whittaker R, Borland R, Bullen C, Lin RB, McRobbie H, Rodgers A