WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION COLLABORATING CENTRE FOR SMOKING CESSATION AND TREATMENT OF TOBACCO DEPENDENCE

Youth Quitline

A local survey shows that more than half of young smokers wish to quit smoking, but the smoking cessation services in the society are mainly for adults which may not be effective for youth. In view of this, the smoking cessation group of the School of Nursing, together with the Department of Community Medicine, the School of Public Health, the Department of Social Work and Social Administration of the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, established the first youth-oriented hotline called Youth Quitline in 2005, to help young people quit smoking. In 2011, Youth Quitline received funding from the Tobacco Control Office of the Department of Health to improve its services and integrate its hotline to the Integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline of the Department of Health "1833 183".

Youth Quitline targets young smokers aged 25 or below; aiming to improve their understanding of smoking cessation services and provides smoking cessation counselling services for youth people. It also provides simple smoking cessation counselling skills for parents, teachers and social workers who call its hotline so that they can enhance the smoking cessation motivation of young people and call Youth Quitline for counselling. Peer counsellors, comprising of young people attending high school seniors and colleges, are trained to become telephone smoking cessation counsellors. They have to attend one day training course consists of theory and practical exercise and have to complete a written examination and practical assessment in order to become qualified counsellors.

Telephone counselling process, involves the first telephone conversation, the assessment of youth smoking status and counselling (takes about 30 minutes), and thereafter the peer counsellors initiate the calls and follow up the progress of young people for several times in the coming one month (each about 15 minutes). Peer counsellors call the youth people again at least after 6 months and 12 months to follow up the progress. Peer counsellors will first assess and understand young people's smoking habits and previous smoking cessation experience.  They will also assess the degree of nicotine addiction. Based on their psychological characteristics, smoking cessation determination, personal and environmental factors, the peer counsellors will provide tailor-made telephone smoking cessation counselling. The process includes explaining of smoking and health problems, correcting the fallacy about smoking and smoking cessation, helping the young people to understand their own smoking habits and addiction, assessing the intention to quit and helping the young people identify suitable ways to quit, helping them understand and overcome the withdrawal symptoms and relapse prevention skills. They will follow up the progress of quitting and encourage youths to establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle.