For Smokers Who Have Decided To Quit -- A Resource Now Available In Spanish

QuitAssist ™ connects smokers who have decided to quit
to information from public health authorities

RICHMOND, VA, February 15, 2006 – According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 41.1 percent (15.1 million) of U.S. adult smokers who smoke everyday reported they had stopped smoking for at least one day during the preceding twelve months because they were trying to quit.[1]

Nationwide, another study reports that 41.7 percent of Hispanic adult smokers tried quitting for at least one day [2]. To help those Hispanic smokers who have decided to quit be more successful, Philip Morris USA is now offering its information resource - QuitAssist – in Spanish online and nationwide. QuitAssist is a free resource designed to connect smokers who have decided to quit to quitting websites, guides, quitting programs, quitlines, information on what has worked for others and more.

“Quitting smoking can be difficult. Many smokers who try to quit do not succeed,” said Rafael Art. Javier, PhD, clinical professor of psychology and an advisor to Philip Morris USA’s QuitAssist Review Board. "Most people try to quit 2 or 3 times before they are successful.”

Included in the information available in the QuitAssist Information Resource is the U.S. Public Health Service’s Five Keys for Quitting that can help smokers prepare for the process of quitting:

Get ready. Think about the ways that quitting smoking will improve your life and your health. Make a list to remind yourself.
Get support and encouragement. Talk to friends and family about why you want to quit, and how important it is to you. Research shows your odds are better if you get support from others for quitting smoking.
Learn new skills and behaviors. Plan ways to distract yourself when the urge to smoke strikes. Take a 2-minute walk or call a friend.
Get medication and use it correctly. For many people, medication can be the key to getting through those first weeks or months without cigarettes.
Be prepared for relapse or difficult situations. Plan ways you can cope when you are around other smokers or in difficult situations where you’re tempted to take a puff.

Smokers who have decided to quit can find the free QuitAssist resource guide online at www.philipmorrisusa.com/es or by calling 1-888-784-7848.

[1] Source: Cigarette Smoking Among Adults United States, 2003, MMWR Weekly, May 27, 2005, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5420a3.htm

[2] National Center for Health Statistics. Raw Data from the National Health Interview Survey, U.S., 1997-2002. (Analysis by the American Lung Association Research and Scientific Affairs Division, Using SPSS and SUDAAN)

Contact Information

Jennifer Golisch

Philip Morris USA

Contact via E-mail