Smoking and COVID-19
Being a current or former cigarette smoker increases your risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Promoting cessation is a critical piece of statewide commercial tobacco prevention and control efforts.
Data shows that the majority of people in South Carolina who use commercial tobacco products want to quit. Statewide cessation resources like the SC Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) provide equitable access to free, evidence-based quit support. Health systems change efforts complement cessation interventions like the SC Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) by making sustainable approaches that support individual behavior change a standard of practice.
Free Cessation Support
Youth
Adults
- SC Tobacco Quitline (en español)
- BecomeAnEx
- Smokefree.gov (en español)
- Quit VET
- Text 'QUIT NOW' to 333888
- Text 'DÉJELO YA al 333888
- National Cancer Institute LiveHelp (en español)
Health Systems Change
Systems support and cessation intervention training for healthcare providers increases quit attempts among tobacco users. U.S. Public Health Service Clinical Practice Guideline: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence (2008 Update) research shows that clinician interventions that integrate tobacco cessation into healthcare delivery improve chronic disease outcomes, improve effectiveness of cancer treatment, and increase successful quit attempts among patients.
The Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control helps build the capacity of South Carolina healthcare systems to impact tobacco use by supporting the integration of science-based tobacco intervention protocol for healthcare providers and the adoption of e-referral for the SC Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW). Access healthcare provider tobacco intervention training or visit the Healthcare Provider section of the SC Tobacco Quitline website.