A Solution to Finally Quit Nicotine

Quitting nicotine is hard, but evidence shows that using FDA-approved quit medications, including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), can increase the chance of success by 50–70%. Yet, despite their proven benefits, these medications remain significantly underutilized.

To better understand the barriers to using these medications, Cal Poly students surveyed adult tobacco users (n=76) in SLO County about their primary barriers to using quit medication. The results of the survey, later published as an article in the American Journal of Health Promotion, made several key discoveries:

• Respondents often didn’t know that quit medications improve cessation success.

• Respondents didn’t know that quit medications can be FREE with insurance.

• Respondents had limited knowledge of how to access quit medications.

A key finding showed that respondents who contacted their healthcare provider were significantly more likely to use quit medications—highlighting the critical role providers play in successful cessation.

Given this finding, the Tobacco Control Program, in partnership with the SLO County Tobacco Control Coalition’s Cessation Subcommittee (including local partners Cal Poly, CenCal Health and Santa Barbara County Public Health), launched a targeted Public Health campaign to bridge the awareness gap, and focused on reaching nicotine users during their medical visit(s). 

The campaign sought to train healthcare providers and provide the offices with patient-facing educational materials. To do that, the team scheduled mini trainings at healthcare offices to engage providers in person.  Once there, they were able to hand-deliver toolkits that outline quit medication options, best practices, and how to talk with patients ready to quit. 

A 'Quit Today' poster used in medical offices. Patients see the poster, grab a rack card, and bring it into their appointment to initiate the conversation about quitting.

They were also able to provide rack cards (easy-to-carry informational handouts for providers to give their patients), alongside posters that could be displayed in waiting rooms—serving as visual reminders about the effectiveness and availability of quit medications for both providers and patients. Lunch was also provided for healthcare offices as a ‘thank you’ for participating. This hands-on, behind-the-scenes approach mirrored pharmaceutical reps, helping public health gain access to clinical teams.

These materials encouraged patients to speak with their provider about quitting and ask their provider to prescribe quit medications – which can be covered at little to no-cost by insurance, when prescribed.

Early Results

Early evaluation data suggests the campaign is already producing measurable results.

The first wave of data from CenCal Health—examining the six-month period following the launch of the Quit Campaign, which included clinic-based rack cards, provider trainings, and a coordinated media push—shows a substantial increase in the use of nicotine replacement therapy prescriptions among CenCal members.

Among CenCal members diagnosed with Tobacco Use Disorder, the percentage receiving a prescription for NRT increased from 12% to 24% after the campaign’s launch. In practical terms, this represents more than 1,000 CenCal members within SLO County receiving prescriptions for evidence-based quit medications.

This early signal suggests that targeted provider engagement and patient prompts within clinical settings may help close the gap between awareness and utilization of cessation medications.

Note: While it is not possible to attribute a causal effect between the increase in NRT prescription medication and the Quit Campaign, the increase in NRT prescriptions can likely be associated with and attributed to the Quit Campaign.

Major Takeaways

The campaign revealed several important takeaways. First, flexibility is key when working with different medical offices, as schedules are often fully booked with patients months in advance and patient emergencies can arise at a moment’s notice.  Second, direct provider outreach is difficult, but office staff can play an invaluable role in helping coordinate educational sessions or mini trainings.  And, finally, relationships matter—the team provided quick follow-up for any issues that arose, ensuring that office staff and providers felt valued and supported in their new work.

To date, the campaign has successfully:

• Trained 8 medical offices (Community Health Centers of the Central Coast)

• Distributed 1,000+ rack cards (in both English & Spanish)

• Distributed 40+ posters (in both English & Spanish)

Patients now have clear prompts they can use to request quit medications from their providers, and providers are more aware of when and how to prescribe them.

The new health intervention helps move the needle on the group’s mission to increase equitable access and utilization of cessation services throughout SLO County. The campaign continues to push forward with further provider engagement, which will be increasingly pertinent when the new measure for tobacco use screening and intervention in health care settings commences in January 2026.

Key Message

Quit medications work—and they’re often free. A simple conversation with a healthcare provider can make all the difference!