Cost effectiveness of different recruitment strategies for self-help smoking cessation programs

The Pawtucket Heart Health Program has used a variety of recruitmentstrategies to enhance participation in its smokingcessationprograms. The current report provides cost effectiveness datafor worksites and for a major community event (Octoberfest)in terms of participants recruited and successful quit ratesfor five annual community-wide smoking cessation campaigns beginningin 1983. Adapted from the Quit and Win contest developed bythe Minnesota Heart Health Program, these campaigns relied primarilyupon a short but intensive recruitment effort for a smokingcessation program based on self-help strategies. The winnerwas determined by a lottery drawing that included the namesof all those who had successfully abstained from smoking fora 1-month period. Even though only one component of PHHP's diverseefforts to affect the smoking rates of Pawtucket, the contestapproach appears to be one of the best suited for large-scaleadoption. The data clearly indicate that while the cost perparticipant is much less for recruitment during a large publicevent, the cost per quitter was much less for worksites. Also,while the cost per quitter at worksites is important, focused‘staff’ involvement appears to be important bothin the recruitment of worksites for participation and in guidingthe volunteers from worksites in their recruitment efforts.