One Tiny Reason to Quit: Pregnant African-American Quitline User Promotion

Audience: In Richmond, Virginia (VA), infant mortality (IM) rates are 4-5 times higher among African-Americans (AA) than among whites. As smoking is a leading risk factor for prematurity and IM, it was targeted in a coalition-based social marketing campaign guided by the Social Marketing version of CDCynergy.  The target audience was pregnant AA smokers.  The most appropriate audiences for this presentation are health officials and service providers from areas with large AA populations.  

Key Points: A coalition-driven social marketing campaign called One Tiny Reason to Quit increased calls to 1-800-QUITNOW from pregnant Richmond women significantly.  It was even more effective when replicated in Richmond two years later, and it also worked in rural Virginia.  Neither statewide nor local secular trends accounted for the increase, and there were no unintended decreases in calls from men or women who were not pregnant.  A manual has been developed to guide replication.  Submitting such programs for inclusion in the Maternal/Child Health database of effective prevention models increases the potential reach of the interventions.

Educational Experience: Conference attendees will learn the basics of CDCynergy navigation, and how to apply the social marketing version of CDCynergy to quitline promotion among pregnant AA smokers. 

Benefits: Such campaigns promise health benefits throughout the lifespan.  Benefits to session attendees will include becoming aware of the audience research necessary to plan and implement One Tiny Reason to Quit, learning how to use materials now in the public domain to increase calls from this high-risk population, and understanding key evaluation issues.