Did you know*:

• Did you know that the more intensively you focus on quitting, the higher your odds of quitting?
• Did you know that using nicotine replacement products could reduce withdrawal symptoms and double your odds of quitting smoking?
• Did you know that your appeal to the opposite sex could triple as a non-smoker?
• Did you know that quitting smoking could help you avoid complications when undergoing surgery?
• Did you know that the use of cessation materials directly increases your chances of quitting smoking?
• Did you know that the more strategies you use to quit, the higher your odds of remaining a nonsmoker?

Decide for sure that you want to quit. Promise yourself that you'll do it. It's OK to have mixed feelings. Don't let that stop you. There will be times every day that you don't feel like quitting. You will have to stick with it anyway.

One resource available to smokers is Quitline Iowa, the statewide, toll-free smoking cessation hotline, 866-U-CAN-TRY, or 866-822-6879. The service is available 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. Staffed by trained counselors from the Iowa Tobacco Research Center, part of the UI Department of Community and Behavioral Health, Quitline Iowa offers callers state-of-the-art smoking cessation services over the phone in English and Spanish, with translation services available for other languages. Callers also may request free materials to be sent in the mail, or referrals to local smoking cessation resources in their community, including support groups, clinics and consultants.

"Research shows that a person who receives phone counseling during the quitting process is twice as likely to stay smoke free as someone who tries to quit on their own," says John Lowe, Dr.P.H., professor and head of community and behavioral health in the University of Iowa College of Public Health. "Even if you've tried before, try again. This may be the time you quit for good."

During a person's initial call to Quitline Iowa, a counselor helps a smoker determine the best method for them to quit, based on the caller's smoking history, past quit attempts and level of readiness.

The counselor can discuss options including nicotine replacement therapy or prescription medications; assist the smoker in developing an individualized quit plan; and provide follow-up calls for ongoing support before, during and after the quitting process.

If a smoker is not ready to call, Quitline Iowa provides on-line resources. Visitors can use the smoking cost calculator to see the impact their habit has on their wallet, request information to be received by mail, download materials to use on their own or e-mail questions to a Quitline Iowa counselor through the "Ask-a-Counselor" feature.

"Our telephone counseling services, Web site and educational materials help give smokers the tools and information they need to quit, " said Esther Baker, Iowa Tobacco Research Center program coordinator. "The keys to success are making a plan and getting support, whether it's from family, friends or the counselors at Quitline Iowa."

Quitline Iowa is a service provided by the Iowa Tobacco Research Center and is funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health with funds from the state's tobacco settlement.

Smoking is limited to the designated smoking shelters maintained by UI Hospitals and Clinics and is not allowed in any part of the building, in the parking ramps designated primarily for hospital use, or anywhere on grounds maintained by hospital staff. This policy, implemented November 1, is the first step toward having a smoke-free hospital campus by July 6, 2006.

* Smokefree.gov

For more information:

Smoking Teens

Smokefree.gov

UI Stop Smoking Clinic

Quitline Iowa