Clermont County smokers can get help kicking the habit

BATAVIA, Ohio - Adults in Clermont County who smoke, but want to quit, can get free help through a research partnership between The Ohio State University College of Public Health and OSU Extension in Clermont County.

This partnership - called the OSU Quit Smoking Project - will provide telephone support and up to eight weeks of nicotine patches.

To participate:

• You must be a daily smoker
• You must reside in Clermont County
• You must be 18 years or older
• You can't have any recent major health issues
• You cannot be pregnant

Space in the program is limited.

The purpose of the project is to find out how effective telephone support and patches are for smokers in the Appalachian region of Ohio.

Participants will be asked a set of questions before they start the project, then 3, 6, and 12 months later.  It is important for participants to stay in the study for 12 months, whether they quit smoking or not.

Participants will receive a small gift card after each data collection.

Clermont is one of six counties selected to participate in this project over the next several years, because of high smoking rates across Appalachia.

According to a recent Ohio Family Health Survey, 29.6 percent of adults in Clermont County smoke; the statewide smoking rate is 20.1 percent.  

This study is funded by the National Cancer Institute.  If you are interested in participating in the OSU Quit Smoking Project, call Debi Parm at 635-8595.