Registered users of Don't Quit Quitting campaign's Quit Counter on Facebook app reach more than 1 million hours without cigarette since October; app allows users to track information about their quit attempts

Michelle Rivera

TORONTO, Ontario , December 13, 2011 (press release) – Thanks to the help of two online tools that encourage people to quit smoking, registered users have surpassed over one million combined hours of being smoke-free.

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As part of the Don’t Quit Quitting campaign, the Quit Counter allows users to track information about their quit attempts such as the amount of money saved, number of cigarettes not smoked and smoke-free hours. The Quit Exchange is a Facebook application that allows users to encourage someone who is ready to quit smoking to challenge a friend to support them by offering up something in a “quit exchange”. A friend of a smoker can also start the ball rolling by issuing the challenge first, as long as they offer to sacrifice something in return.

“We know quitting is very hard,” said Central East TCAN Co-ordinator Cindy Baker-Barill. “The campaign components have all been developed so you don’t have to do it alone. You can share the experience with a friend and support each other to stay on track. And if you slip up, you have the power of social influence to support your next quit attempt.”

The Central East TCAN is one of seven networks collaborating to develop the Don’t Quit Quitting Campaign. TCANs are funded as part of the Ontario Government’s Smoke-Free Ontario strategy.

Don’t Quit Quitting campaign highlights as of December:

1,067,597 smoke-free hours
811,151 cigarettes not smoked
$287,542 saved
Over 300 active users on the Quit Exchange
Over 100 Challenges issued
Over 500 referrals to the Smokers’ Helpline

The Don’t Quit Quitting Campaign was launched province-wide in October with a goal to provide cessation support for young adults to help them break their tobacco addiction. Don’t Quit Quitting celebrates quit attempts – including failed attempts – as a positive step towards quitting for good. Research shows that most tobacco users must make several quit attempts before they have long-term success.

About the Central East Tobacco Control Area Network:

The CETCAN structure was initiated in September 2005. Membership includes representation from the six health units (Durham Region Health Department; Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit; Regional Municipality of Peel Health Department; Peterborough County-City Health Unit; Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit; and York Region Health Department), Ontario Tobacco Network (OTN), Program Training and Consultation Centre (PTCC), and Smokers’ Helpline (SHL). The main priorities of the TCAN are to create an environment for networking, sharing information, creating regional synergy and to plan for and carry out regional activities. The activities support and enhance local Smoke-Free Ontario (SFO) efforts as well as provincial directions.
Core Facts

1,067,597 smoke-free hours

811,151 cigarettes not smoked

$287,542 saved

Over 300 active users on the Quit Exchange

Over 100 Challenges issued

Over 500 referrals to the Smoker’s Helpline

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