VDH, CDC campaign encourages people who smoke to quit

More than 10,000 Virginians die each year from smoking-related disease, but a recent study showed that the Tips From Former Smokers® campaign helped prevent an estimated 129,000 early deaths over a six-year period.

The Tips From Former Smokers® campaign is entering its 10th year with new ads that encourage people who smoke to quit. The  campaign, designed by the CDC, is the nation’s first federally funded tobacco education campaign, and has helped more than 1 million U.S. adults quit smoking and inspired millions more to try to quit.

The Virginia Department of Health is committed to helping Virginia understand the reality of smoking-related disease and death—and to prevent these realities from happening to them.

The campaign encourages smokers to call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or to visit www.quitnow.net/virginia for free help quitting.

The ads will run through September 26 on national cable and network television, streaming radio, and online. The latest Tips ads will continue to share personal stories of people suffering from smoking-related illnesses.

In addition, new ads will tell the stories of family members who take care of a loved one suffering from a smoking-related disease. Caring for a loved one with a smoking-related illness can affect the caregivers’ lives in various ways, including their ability to work and maintain physical and mental health.

Each year when the Tips campaign is aired, there is an immediate and marked spike in calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW and visits to the Quit Now Virginia website.

In addition to the harm it causes in peoples’ lives, cigarette smoking also has a significant impact on the U.S. economy. Smoking costs more than $300 billion a year, including nearly $170 billion in direct medical costs and more than $156 billion in lost productivity.

The Tips campaign is also an important counter to the billions of dollars spent on advertising and promoting cigarettes each year.

Cigarette smoking remains the single largest cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S., killing more than 480,000 Americans each year. For every American who dies from a smoking-related disease, about 30 more suffer at least one serious illness from smoking. Nearly 70% of smokers say they want to quit.

Virginians who would like to quit smoking or using tobacco products are encouraged to call 1-800-QUIT-NOW and visit the Quit Now Virginia website for free assistance and support.