New Anti-Smoking Ad Campaign Leads to Doubling of Calls to Quit Line

A new government-sponsored ad campaign, which features former smokers who discuss the negative health consequences of smoking, has led to a doubling of calls to a toll-free telephone hotline designed to help people quit smoking.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday that calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW totaled more than 33,000 in the first week of the ad campaign, compared with less than 14,500 the week before.

USA Today reports that during the same week, clicks to the government’s www.smokefree.gov website rose to about 66,000, from about 20,000.

The campaign, which runs for 12 weeks, will cost $54 million. The CDC estimates the ad campaign will help about 50,000 smokers quit smoking.