The TIPS prevention campaign returns for its 10th edition in the United States

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Tips From Former Smokers® (Tips®) prevention campaign is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.[1]Several studies have shown that these campaigns, funded by the United States federal government, resulted in a significant increase in attempts to quit smoking and the number of people who quit smoking permanently

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of premature death and preventable disease in the United States, with more than 480,000 Americans dying each year and 16 million Americans living with at least one serious tobacco-related illness. The campaign, Tips From Former Smokers, features former smokers facing devastating illnesses and disabilities caused by their tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. The campaign also highlights, through personal stories, the impact of smoking on other family members.

A targeted approach to address tobacco-related health inequalities

Evaluations of the Tips campaign suggest that the emotions provoked by testimonies and real-life situations, exposing the effects of smoking on people's health and the consequences for those around them, have a significant impact on the motivation of smokers to quit and to seek help to do so.

The campaign also aims to reduce tobacco-related health disparities by making quitting messages more accessible. The campaign helps raise awareness of free quit smoking resources, regardless of a person's background, location, or income. CDC develops evidence-based ads that feature diverse individuals with tobacco-related health problems and promote free treatment options to help people quit smoking. These ads are strategically placed across a variety of media platforms to reach communities and groups with high levels of tobacco use and tobacco-related disease.

New smoking cessation support services

The campaign has had a significant and sustained impact over the past decade, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine[2], the Tips campaign, helped to permanently stop 642,200 people. These stops helped prevent nearly 130,000 premature deaths between 2012 and 2018.

In addition to promoting the 1-800-QUIT-NOW telephone counseling service, the campaign now includes a text messaging program developed in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute. Available in English and Spanish, the text messaging program supports quitting efforts for those who want it. Evidence-based text messaging services are an important complement to 1-800-QUIT-NOW because they can reach people who want additional help quitting but are less likely to call a quitline.

This type of quitting assistance service has proven its effectiveness in the United States, particularly among young people. The American organization Truth Initiative launched the campaign in 2020 " This is leaving ", a free, anonymous text message program about vaping. The program is geared specifically toward youth and is age-appropriate (ages 13-24). It has helped nearly 400,000 teens and young adults quit vaping.[3].

Keywords: United States, TIPS, smoking cessation, media campaign, prevention

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[1] Press release, CDC's Tips From Former Smokers® Returns With Powerful New Ads, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's, February 28, 2022, accessed March 2, 2022

[2] Shrestha SS, Davis K, Mann N, Taylor N, Nonnemaker J, Murphy-Hoefer R, Trivers KF, King BA, Babb S, Armor BS. Cost Effectiveness of the Tips From Former Smokers Campaign—United States, 2012−2018 American Journal of Preventive Medicine; 2021

[3] Tobacco-free generation, United States: a digital vaping prevention program for young people, January 28, 2021, accessed March 2, 2022