Tobacco use

Tobacco use, in the UW PHI model of health, is within the category Health Promotion and Harm Reduction. Health promotion and harm reduction are prevention and intervention services and activities. They foster health-promoting behaviors and reduce the negative impact of behaviors, such as alcohol and drug use, physical inactivity and risky sexual activity. They include regulating systems, advocating for policies, conducting health education, monitoring wellness and disease, and connecting individuals and communities to services for prevention, treatment and recovery.

Reviewed tobacco use strategies are listed below. Click on column headings to sort by strategy, approach, evidence rating, or short description. Click on the strategy name for more information.

19 results (19 unique strategies)

Strategy ↑↓	Health Topic ↑↓	Approach ↑↓	Evidence Rating ↑↓	Short Description ↑↓
Smoke-free policies for indoor areas	Tobacco use	Reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke	Scientifically Supported	Implement private sector rules or public sector regulations that prohibit smoking indoors or restrict it to designated, often outdoor, areas
Smoke-free policies for outdoor areas	Tobacco use	Reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke	Some Evidence	Implement private sector rules or public sector regulations that prohibit smoking outdoors or restrict it to designated areas
Smoke-free policies for multi-unit housing	Tobacco use	Reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke	Expert Opinion	Implement private sector rules or public sector regulations that prohibit smoking in and around multi-unit housing
Secondhand smoke education interventions	Tobacco use	Reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke	Mixed Evidence	Use counseling, informational materials, etc. to inform smokers and non-smokers of the harms of secondhand smoke and encourage them to implement home smoking bans
Cell phone-based tobacco cessation interventions	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Scientifically Supported	Deliver tobacco cessation advice and motivational messages via text or video message
Health care provider reminder systems for tobacco cessation	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Scientifically Supported	Implement systems that help health professionals support patient tobacco cessation, often with referrals, self-help pamphlets, and pharmacotherapy
Internet-based tobacco cessation interventions	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Scientifically Supported	Use websites, computer programs, and other electronic means to provide information, strategies, or behavioral support to tobacco users who want to quit, sometimes with counseling or pharmacotherapy
Mass media campaigns against tobacco use	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Scientifically Supported	Use broad media-based efforts to educate large groups of current and potential tobacco users about the dangers of tobacco use
Minimum tobacco age laws	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Scientifically Supported	Minimum legal tobacco age (MLTA) laws specify the legal age to purchase or publicly consume tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, and e-cigarettes
Statewide comprehensive tobacco programs	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Scientifically Supported	Coordinate state and community-level cessation and prevention interventions and provide information on the dangers of tobacco using a combination of educational, regulatory, clinical, social, and economic strategies
Tobacco cessation therapy affordability	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Scientifically Supported	Reduce patients’ out-of-pocket costs for tobacco cessation therapies such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and cessation counseling participation
Tobacco quitlines	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Scientifically Supported	Deliver phone-based counseling to tobacco users who want to quit, usually with follow-up calls proactively scheduled after initial contact
Tobacco taxes	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Scientifically Supported	Increase tobacco price per unit through taxes at the federal, state, or local level
School-based tobacco prevention skill-building programs	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Some Evidence	Teach students personal and social skills to avoid tobacco use; led by teachers, health educators, or students in elementary schools, middle schools, or high schools
Tobacco marketing restrictions	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Some Evidence	Limit promotion, placement, flavoring, or pricing of tobacco products via regulation
E-cigarette regulations	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Expert Opinion	Regulate use of e-cigarettes via age, sales and marketing restrictions, expanded smoke-free air policies in public and private worksites and designated spaces, etc.
Tobacco retailer licensing	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Expert Opinion	Require retailers to purchase licenses to sell tobacco products; retailers must follow all tobacco control laws to keep licenses
Tobacco retailer location restrictions	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Expert Opinion	Set the number, type, proximity, and density of tobacco retailers, especially near homes and schools, via state or local zoning, licensing restrictions, or other regulations
Tobacco cessation contests	Tobacco use	Reduce initiation and/or increase cessation	Insufficient Evidence	Encourage participants to quit using tobacco by a set date or during a specific time period and give successful participants a chance to win financial rewards or other prizes; often called Quit & Win contests