Resource Center: brief interventions, prevention

* According to three study findings, nearly 70% of American smokers (36 million) make at least one outpatient visit each year, but health care providers gave smoking cessation advice to only 40% to 52% of the smokers. * One recent study reported that only 15% of smokers who saw a physician in the past year were offered assistance with quitting, and only 3% were given a follow-up appointment to address the problem. * In 1992, about half of all adult U.S. smokers visited a dentist, but only 25% were advised to quit by their dentist. * Effective strategies for treating tobacco use include brief advice by medical providers, counseling, and pharmacotherapy. * Less intensive interventions, as simple as physicians advising their patients to quit smoking, can produce cessation rates of 5% to 10% per year. More intensive interventions, combining behavioral counseling and pharmacologic treatment, can produce 20% to 25% quit rates in one year. (From their website)

A gateway to information and resources from the CDC for public health professionals about the potential for using family history as a tool for improving health and preventing or delaying the onset of common, chronic diseases.