Just When Smokers Need Help Most, Blueprint to Quit Campaign Steps Up to the Plate

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Nov 15, 2011, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the heels of new research released just last week from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finding that nearly 69% of smokers want to quit but only 6% succeeded last year, a new campaign called Blueprint to Quit is being launched today, teaming discounted online behavioral support and nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs). GlaxoSmithKline is offering this program exclusively at Walmart stores around the U.S. for people who smoke and who want help to quit with evidence-based tools to increase their odds of success. Blueprint to Quit is supported by trusted advice from a respected "Wellness Team of Experts" to arm smokers with the tools they need to try to beat their nicotine addictions for good.

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Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH*, president and CEO of the national public health foundation Legacy®, is one of the three quit smoking experts, bringing the personal story of her own struggle to quit smoking to the 34 million smokers who shop at Walmart stores nationwide. Emphasizing the critical component behavioral support plays in smoking cessation, Dr. Healton brings her personal connection as a former smoker and her expertise as a long-time leader in public health to the Blueprint to Quit campaign. "According to the market research MRI 2010 Doublebase Study, we know that the number of adults who smoke and also shop at Walmart is an astounding 34,725,000 customers, which is why the Blueprint to Quit campaign is so timely and important," Dr. Healton said. "Recent CDC data show that more than two-thirds of American smokers are desperate to quit smoking but only a fraction make it across that finish line, many trying on average of up to 11 times before they finally do quit successfully. In the weeks between the Great American Smokeout this week and New Year's Day when so many smokers resolve to try again, Blueprint to Quit will be there, in their own local Walmart stores and online with the tools they need -- from trained pharmacists to discounted NRTs and behavioral support -- to help them from start to finish."

Dr. Healton joins Brad Lamm and Dr. Frank Vitale in providing Walmart shoppers with a wide range of smoking cessation expertise. Lamm is an intervention specialist known for his appearances on the Dr. Oz Show and Oprah and as the founder of The Change Institute. Vitale is national director of the Pharmacy Partnership for Tobacco Cessation and has designed quit smoking programs for the Comprehensive Lung Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

For more information, please visit www.walmart.com/blueprinttoquit.

About "Blueprint to Quit"
The "Blueprint to Quit" comprehensive quit-smoking program is a two-part plan that helps smokers address both the physical and psychological aspects associated with quitting smoking. The first part of the program involves using an NRT stop-smoking aid to address the physical cravings and withdrawal symptoms, and the second part uses a behavioral support program (BSP) on QuitNet to facilitate the changing of behaviors commonly associated with smoking.

About Legacy
Legacy is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the national public health organization helps Americans live longer, healthier lives. Legacy develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation's programs include truth®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as having contributed to significant declines in youth smoking; EX®, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; and research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use (www.BecomeAnEX.org). The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Visit http://www.legacyforhealth.org/.

*Dr. Healton endorses the use of evidence-based online smoking cessation counseling and FDA-approved NRT products; however, she does not endorse specific brands. No corporate funding or other consideration has been provided to Dr. Healton in connection with this promotion other than the minimum SAG-mandated payment.

SOURCE Legacy