Youth smoking is a common problem around the world. The customs of every country are different, so it is relatively important for countries to exchange and their experience in assisting youth to quit smoking. Health Promotion Administration (HPA) commissioned Changhua Christian Hospital to host the “2022 Quitline in Smoking Cessation for Youth Online International Conference”, which took place on October 20, 2022. At the conference, four foreign experts and scholars who have long dedicated to the smoking cessation Quitline were invited to speak, including Ms. Susann Koalick, Chairman of the Global Network for Tobacco Free Healthcare Services in Switzerland, and Dr. Oliver Bilke-Hentsch from Luzerner Psychiatric Hospital. The topics of their talks are “What is special about nicotine addiction in adolescence?” and “How can we use the knowledge for effectiveness in Quitline smoking cessation for youth? Best practice examples from theory and practice”. In addition, Dr. Jintana Yunibhand from Thailand was invited to share Thailand's “The role and effectiveness of Quitline in smoking cessation for youth: Experience sharing from Thailand National Quitline”; Dr. Kelvin Man-ping Wang shared “A proactive cessation service model integrating research and policy advocacy: HKU Youth Quitline”; representing Taiwan, Dr. Nan-ying Chiu, director of Psychiatry, Changhua Christian Hospital, shared “Experience sharing for the role and effectiveness of Quitline in smoking cessation for youth in Taiwan”.
Many people signed up for this international conference. 213 attendees consist of officers from city/county health bureaus and education bureaus as well as relevant experts and scholars considering that the earlier youth start smoking, the higher their nicotine dependence. With the experience from foreign countries, we can further improve our country's ability to use the Quitline to help youth quit smoking.
Higher cessation rate with professional assistance
       Established in 2003, the “Taiwan National Quitline (0800636363)” is composed of professionals in psychological counseling, counseling, social work and education. It provides free smoking cessation consultation services and assists those who want to quit smoking to formulate smoking cessation strategies and plans. In recent years, an online communication service (LINE ID: @tsh0800636363) has been added to make the service more accesible. Currently, nearly 40% of those seeking assistance have succeeded in smoking cessation. HPA also cooperates with medical institutions and health bureaus to refer cases with smoking cessation intentions. As of the end of September in 2022, the Quitline had served a total of 20,617 people, including 223 youth. Since 2020, due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the way people seek medical treatment has changed, as they no longer rely solely on outpatient services for smoking cessation. The Quitline service by the HPA enables people to seek cessation assistance in a personalized and private manner, thus motivating more to begin and succeed in their quiting endeavor.