Public Health is Looking for Smokers Who Want to Quit

Region of Waterloo Public Health is hosting a Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) Study in Waterloo Region.

The STOP Study provides five weeks of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), an educational presentation and self-help materials to support the smokers to make a quit attempt.

STOP Study workshops are being held in:

• Waterloo on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 from 6 - 9 p.m.
• Kitchener on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 from 1 - 4 p.m.

The STOP study is a research study. Interested smokers must call Region of Waterloo Public Health at 519-575-4400 to be screened over the phone to find out if they are eligible to attend the workshop.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy has been shown to effectively help people quit smoking by easing withdrawal symptoms. Workshop participants also receive educational material with quit smoking and relapse prevention strategies, along with information to address other unhealthy lifestyle factors that are known to accompany smoking.

The STOP Study is conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, in partnership with Region of Waterloo Public Health, and is funded by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care as part of the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy.

CAMH is Canada’s leading addiction and mental health teaching hospital. Integrating clinical care, scientific research, education, policy development and health promotion, CAMH transforms the lives of people impacted by mental health and addiction issues.

For more information about the STOP Study go to https://www.nicotinedependenceclinic.com/English/stop/Pages/Home.aspx or call 416-535-8501 ext. 34455.

Background: The STOP Program

Introduced in 2005 through a partnership between the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the former Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport, the STOP Program has already provided smoking cessation medication, free of charge, along with behavioural support to an unprecedented 190,000 Ontarians.

Questionnaires administered pre- and post-treatment will help STOP Program researchers learn more about the long-term impact of providing nicotine replacement therapy and other smoking cessation aids free of charge to smokers across Ontario. To date, results for STOP participants have shown an improvement of at least two times the typical quit rates.

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Media contact: TJ Flynn, Communications Coordinator, Health Communications, tflynn@regionofwaterloo.ca 519-575-4400 ext. 2244