Legacy's Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Receives Grant to Research Mobile Support for D.C. Tobacco Quitline

Use this form to email friends and family a link to this page

Your Name:
Your E-mail Address:
First Recipient's
E-mail Address:
Additional Recipient Email Addresses
(comma delimited, limit 5):
Message (optional):

Enter these words

Get different words | Listen | Help

All information submitted is private and will not be shared

Legacy's Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Receives Grant to Research Mobile Support for D.C. Tobacco Quitline

10/1/2009

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Grant Allows Institute to Analyze New Quit Smoking Technologies in the Nation’s Capital

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Legacy Foundation^®’s Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy this week received a $977,346 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Institute will use the funds to study the effectiveness of Internet-based mobile phone support for the D.C. Tobacco Quitline. 

“The competition for these awards is fierce, with only about two percent of all applications receiving funding,” said Dr. David Abrams, Executive Director of the Schroeder Institute. “This award helps to fulfill the mission of the Schroeder Institute to translate our research discoveries into effective interventions to improve individual and community health.”

The study will be conducted in collaboration with the Washington, D.C., Department of Health, the D.C. Cancer Consortium, the American Lung Association of D.C. Tobacco Free Families Initiative, the American Cancer Society, and the Georgetown University Lombardi Health Disparities Initiative. The project will test the efficacy of a system that uses mobile phones to improve quit rates at 3-month intervals, relative to the standard, phone-based care already provided by the D.C. Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW). Under the standard model, relatively infrequent, periodic support is provided to smokers who want to quit and seek out the services. The new system will complement that effort by increasing the quality, frequency and accessibility of quit smoking support - when and where the smoker needs it most. 

“It is a real honor for Legacy and the Schroeder Institute to receive this grant,” said Legacy president and CEO, Dr. Cheryl Healton. “As the foundation celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, we continue to look toward the future of tobacco prevention and cessation efforts, Initiatives like this will enable us to learn and improve on existing services and models. It is especially gratifying that this grant will benefit many low-income residents of Washington, D.C., as we know that low-income and members of some minority groups are traditionally underserved when it comes to access to quit-smoking services.” 

Signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 seeks to create jobs, spur economic growth and investment, and foster accountability and transparency in government spending – all with the overarching goal to effectively address various challenges the country faces during the ongoing recession.  The hope is that by funding programs such as this innovative quit smoking initiative, the government is investing in our country’s future and investing in the health and wellness of citizens.

Dr. Thomas Kirchner, a research investigator at the D.C.-based Schroeder Institute, wrote the grant application and will be the lead researcher on this project.  “Legacy and the Schroeder Institute are pleased to receive this grant,” commented Kirchner. “While it is available to all D.C. residents, the D.C. Tobacco Quitline targets underserved communities that are known to have the highest smoking rates in the District. Mobile technology and other social media-type tools are showing great promise when it comes to extending the reach of traditional quit-smoking programs. This grant will allow us to further explore the promise of that technology to bridge the digital divide and provide a real service to smokers here in Washington who are struggling to quit.”

The American Legacy Foundation^® is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the foundation develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation’s programs include truth^®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth smoking; EX^®, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use; and a nationally-renowned program of outreach to priority populations. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Visit http://www.americanlegacy.org/.

###