The 802 Quits program, which assists Vermonters who want to stop using tobacco products, experienced a significant increase in use during the month of March. The program includes a Quit Line service that connects people to assistance over the phone and a Quit Online version that provides resources on the internet.
The phone line saw a 41% increase last month compared to March 2019, while web registrations went up 167%. Rhonda Williams, the chief of chronic disease prevention at the Vermont Department of Health, said that much of the online increase came from young adults ages 18-24.
Williams said it is hard to pinpoint the exact reason why so many people have reached out to 802 Quits recently, but that the Covid-19 pandemic likely contributed.
“In early March there was a blog by the director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and he spoke to increased risk and cautioning those who do smoke or vape or use marijuana to be aware of that,” she said. “We certainly started messaging around that.”
This kind of increase usually happens around the beginning of the year — during New Year’s resolution season — but is unusual for March, according to Williams.
“We’re working from home balancing many different priorities between family, work and stress factors like unemployment,” she said. “But during these types of times it can be an opportunity to take something on that you’ve been thinking about like quitting.”
— Sarah Asch
