Tobacco cessation contests
In tobacco cessation contests, participants are encouraged to quit using tobacco by a particular date or during a specific time period; successful participants are eligible for raffles, lotteries, or prize drawings, which may include financial payments or other rewards. Often called Quit & Win contests, tobacco cessation contests may be part of larger cessation interventions with counseling or pharmacological treatments (e.g., nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)) (Thomas 2016). Competitions can occur at worksites or within the broader community (CDC-Evidence Informed State Workplace 2017, CG-Tobacco).
Note: The term “tobacco” in this strategy refers to commercial tobacco, not ceremonial or traditional tobacco. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps recognizes the important role that ceremonial and traditional tobacco play for many Tribal Nations, and our tobacco-related work focuses on eliminating the harms and inequities associated with commercial tobacco.
What could this strategy improve?
Expected Benefits
Our evidence rating is based on the likelihood of achieving these outcomes:
- Reduced tobacco consumption
Potential Benefits
Our evidence rating is not based on these outcomes, but these benefits may also be possible:
- Increased quit rates
What does the research say about effectiveness? -+
There is insufficient evidence to determine whether tobacco cessation contests reduce smoking when implemented alone (CG-Tobacco). Available evidence suggests that contests may help some smokers quit but are not likely to affect community smoking rates (Cochrane-Fanshawe 2019). Contests may be part of broader cessation programs with counseling or pharmacological treatments (Cochrane-Cahill 2014), which can decrease tobacco use in the short-term (Cochrane-Cahill 2014, Ledgerwood 2014). Financial incentives may boost long-term smoking cessation rates, with no noticeable difference between small or large cash rewards (Cochrane-Notley 2019). An assessment of multi-component Quit & Win contests at 19 universities suggests that participation in multiple contests may increase the likelihood of quitting (Thomas 2016) and may be cost-effective (Popp 2018). However, additional evidence is needed to confirm the effects.
Implementation Examples -+
Tobacco cessation contests use incentives or rewards to encourage participants to quit using tobacco by a particular date and can occur in workplaces (CDC-Evidence Informed State Workplace 2017), university campuses (Popp 2018), or within the broader community (CG-Tobacco). For example, in 2021, Above + Beyond Cancer, an Iowa-based non-profit, ran a tobacco cessation contest in which teams representing small towns competed in a two-month long cessation challenge, with a prize of up to $50,000 for community improvements (Above and Beyond Cancer).
Citations -+
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Above and Beyond Cancer - Above+Beyond Cancer. The $50,000 Cold Turkey Challenge. Championing for a healthier, nicotine-free Iowa.
CDC-Evidence Informed State Workplace 2017 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP). What could be addressed in an evidence-informed state workplace health promotion law? Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2017.
CG-Tobacco - The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide). Tobacco.
Cochrane-Cahill 2014* - Cahill K, Lancaster T. Workplace interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2014;(2):CD003440.
Cochrane-Fanshawe 2019 - Fanshawe TR, Hartmann-Boyce J, Perera R, Lindson N. Competitions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019;(2):CD013272.
Cochrane-Notley 2019 - Notley C, Gentry S, Livingstone-Banks J, et al. Incentives for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2019;(7):CD004307.
Ledgerwood 2014 - Ledgerwood DM, Arfken CL, Petry NM, Alessi SM. Prize contingency management for smoking cessation: A randomized trial. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2014;140:208-212.
Popp 2018 - Popp J, Nyman JA, Luo X, et al. Cost-effectiveness of enhancing a Quit-and-Win smoking cessation program for college students. European Journal of Health Economics. 2018;19(9):1319-1333.
Thomas 2016* - Thomas JL, Luo X, Bengtson J, et al. Enhancing Quit & Win contests to improve cessation among college smokers: A randomized clinical trial. Addiction. 2016;111(2):331-339.