Most smokers receive no counseling or treatment to help them quit

August 6, 2024

Source: VanFrank, et al MMWR July 25, 2024 LINK

About two-thirds of those who smoke (68%) want to quit, and over half (54%) have made a quit attempt. But nicotine is highly addictive, and the likelihood of succeeding at staying off of tobacco is higher if people trying to quit get counseling and medication therapy. Medications including nicotine or venlafaxine (Chantix) increase the likelihood of successfully kicking the nicotine habit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published data in late July showing that under one in five smokers have gotten help from the medical community to quit, and the majority of these did not receive effective drug treatment. Nonetheless, almost 1 in 10 smokers quit each year.

Treatment for smoking cessation (counseling or medication) is distributed inequitably, too. Of those who want to quit, White people are more likely to receive treatment (43%), compared to Black (33%), Hispanic (29%), non-Hispanic non-White (34%) and non-Hispanic Asian people (16%).

Implications for employers:

-        Most employees who are smokers want to quit, and employers can communicate about available smoking cessation programs, which are covered without cost sharing in most plans.

-        Many members who are smokers require multiple cessation attempts (on average 6 or more) before they are successful at kicking tobacco smoking.

-        Helping employees and family members quit smoking can decrease time away from work, improve health and life expectancy, and decrease future medical costs.

-        Employers have played an important role in decreasing population tobacco use through education, smoking cessation programs, and smoking prohibition on work campuses.

-        Many employers have incentive programs to encourage employees to quit smoking. However, these programs should be carefully designed to avoid placing an unfair burden on lower-wage workers. Incentive programs requiring cessation for many months before open enrollment can inadvertently discourage smoking cessation attempts.

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