ASK AHSC (Answers to Health Questions from The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center(AHSC) in Tucson)

FEBRUARY 1998

Q: My attempts to quit smoking this year have already failed. Is there anything new that can help?

A: Yes. The Arizona Program for Nicotine and Tobacco Research at The University of Arizona Prevention Center is seeking 500 volunteers who want to quit smoking to participate in a study using a plastic nicotine inhaler that the smoker puffs to receive nicotine. Unlike cigarettes -- which also contain tar, carbon monoxide and other materials -- the inhaler provides nico-tine only. Puffing on the nicotine inhaler has been found more effective and preferred over the nicotine patch, gum or nasal spray by smokers who feel the need to do something with their hands while trying to "kick the habit."

Volunteers will be asked to attend three visits at the research clinic and to be available for one year. There will be a charge for the in-halers. For more information, call (520)621-9907.

In addition, Arizona residents who want to quit smoking or using other tobacco products in 1998 can find support over the telephone by calling the Arizona Smokers Helpline (ASH) at 1-800-556-6222 (or in Tucson, 318-7148).

Implemented in 1995 by the Arizona Program for Nicotine and Tobacco Research, the service is the only one of its kind in the state and is one of only a handful in the nation.

The focus of ASH is treatment. Tobacco users who want to quit can speak one-on-one with professional smoking-cessation counselors and receive tobacco "quit kits" in the mail. Teens and pregnant women who want to quit smoking are provided tailored smoking-cessation services.

ASH is staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m., with voice mail service during other hours.

(Scott Leischow, Ph.D., director, Arizona Program for Nicotine and Tobacco Research, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson)

The information presented here is not intended to replace the advice of your physician.
For referral to a UA physician, please call University Health Connection, (520) 694-8888.
ASK AHSC is published by the Office of Public Affairs, The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center. Health questions should be sent to: ASK AHSC, AHSC Office of Public Affairs, P.O. Box 245095, Tucson, AZ 85724-5095, or E-mail to: jspinell@u.arizona.edu. (Editors Note: ASK AHSC is available on the Internet at www.ahsc.arizona.edu/opa/answers. To receive ASK AHSC via E-mail, call the AHSC Office of Public Affairs, (520)626-7301.)

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