In the Survey on Health Promotion Knowledge and Behavioral Attitude of People in the Taiwan Area conducted in 2002, 46% of smokers said they wanted to give up the habit. A 2005 telephone survey on adults smoking behavior revealed that 66.5% of the smokers expressed their willingness to break the habit and 56% of them knew that the government provided smoke-cessation services.
Since 2004, the subsidized smoke-cessation outpatient service has been expanded. All those who belong to a class-5 low-income household, as defined in the National Health Insurance Act, can claim a subsidy for smoking, since related medical fees have been increased from NT$250 to NT$500 a week. In 2005, 2,020 contract healthcare providers in 356 townships in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Mats(accounting for 96% of all townships), started smoke-cessation outpatient service. By the end of 2005, these healthcare providers had reported 364,477 smoke-cessation cases to the National Health Insurance Bureau (NHIB), registering a 21.0% success rate within 6 months.
To help smokers who want to kick their habit but do not wish to go to a hospital, the Bureau of Heath Promotion has installed a consultation hotline (0800-636363) to help them 6 days a week, 12 hours each day. In 2005, 32,320 calls were received and the service volume came to 8,119 people, marking a 121% increase compared to the 6002 number registered in 2004. The success rate for those who were able to quit smoking for good after one year of counseling was 25% in 2005, and on average, the approval rate of the service was 86.52 out of 100 in 2005, higher than the 83.36 grade of 2004.
At the same time, in 2005, 339 smoke-cessation classes were opened in various counties and cities with an enrollment of 5,774 people. Such efforts were done to provide a more well-rounded smoking-cessation service for the local communities