CDC Campaign Encourages Smokers to Talk With Their Doctor About Quitting

A new campaign launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages smokers to talk with their physician about quitting. The “Talk With Your Doctor” campaign also provides materials for physicians to help their patients give up cigarettes.

While 70 percent of smokers see a doctor regularly, most try to quit smoking on their own, according to CDC Director Thomas Frieden. Having the help and advice of a doctor more than doubles the success of quitting smoking, he said. A doctor can provide counseling and options, prescribe medications and explain nicotine replacement therapy.

The campaign includes television and online ads with tips from former smokers, which will run from May 27 to June 2, according to the Los Angeles Times. As part of the campaign, doctors will be offered training on helping patients quit smoking. A number of medical organizations have partnered with the CDC to reach doctors.

“Taking just a few minutes to talk to your patients about smoking can double the odds of them successfully quitting,” Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, said in a news release. “As a physician, I know that clinicians and their staff can play an incredibly important role in helping smokers move from thinking about quitting to taking real steps toward successful quitting.”