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| Aims
and Objectives |
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 The European Network of
Quitlines (ENQ) is an initiative aimed at maximising collaboration
between all European Union member
countries in tobacco control and smoking cessation.
The main
aims and objectives of the ENQ are:
- To
promote and support European Quitlines as a public health
intervention that is clinically and cost effective in helping
European smokers in quitting successfully
- To share expertise and
experience- disseminate evidence base and share best practice
- To
raise the quality of services through out Europe by establishing
standards
- To assist those wishing to establish new Quitlines
- Build
upon the Network’s success of the first three years
and extend the development and promotion of quality standards
throughout the European Network of Quitlines
- Evaluate the effectiveness
of the Quitlines operating throughout Europe, to assess which
factors influence success, and to find
out what kind of assistance is sought (and received) by
what kind of smokers.
- Establish the evidence base for the clinical
and cost effectiveness of Quitlines as an essential component
of a comprehensive tobacco
control programme
| History |
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The idea to have a European wide network of Quitlines was first
discussed at the Second European Conference on Tobacco and
Health held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Februray 1999.
It was then
developed into the ENQ later that year with a conference in
London of the interested parties.
Originally a steering group
comprising independent operators of telephone-counselling helplines
from six member states met
and set the initial framework of the ENQ.
The group agreed that
Quitlines had the advantage of being services that had:
- Large reach and impact as a public health intervention
- Improved
accessibility to smoking cessation services for many disadvantaged
groups
- Relatively low costs as a smoking cessation method
- The
ability to support large numbers of smokers
- The Quitlines encompassed
a range of practice and experience
The group formally presented the idea to the
11th World Conference on Tobacco and Health held in Chicago USA in August
2000.
The ENQ was formally launched in September 2001
with our 1st conference held in Barcelona Spain. The event had Quitlines
from Carlifornia (USA), Victoria (Australia) and Auckland
(New
Zealand)
sharing evidence base and best practice with European Quitlines
from Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
and
UK.
The Network is a European Union funded initiative in association
with the European Network of Smoking Prevention (ENSP)
| Future |
|
Developing and extending the Network to accession countries
The European Network of Quitlines has grown from 6 to 15
members now. We will now be welcoming ten new members from
the accession
countries to build a 25 member strong network. The European
Network of Quitlines will be holding a seminar in London,
during the
summer of 2004 to officially invite them on-board.
Quality Standard Accreditation Scheme
The ENQ will also be concentrating on the development of
ENQ Quality Standard Accreditation, and publication of
the helpline
model and Code of Practice, incorporating
best practice tools, which will inform, support and advance policy development
in tobacco as one of the priorities of the Community Health Strategy.
- STIVORO/ENQ
The STIVORO/ENQ research will assess what factors influence success in
conjunction with Quitlines. Special attention will be paid to the impact
of new EU directives
on European Quitlines, for example quitline numbers appearing on cigarette
packs, in conjunction with the European directive 2001/37/EC on labelling.
The
Project will result in concrete recommendations on how Quitlines should
be organised and run to have the maximum
impact on smoking behaviour. STIVORO/ENQ
propose an effectiveness study using one pretest and one postest. The
key areas of the questionnaire have been mapped out with member
groups. A sample
of 500
callers per country will be screened, and then 12 months after the call,
the respondents will be interviewed by telephone from a central research
centre.
Various outcome measures will be used to assess success:
- Appreciation
of the help that was received,
- Progression
in stage of change,
- Increase in self - efficacy,
- Use of evidence based
cessation method,
- Reduction in tobacco consumption,
- Successful quit attempts
and long-term smoking cessation.
The quantitative data on
callers will be supplemented with qualitative process data
on the counsellors, the Quitlines
and other
relevant information
that can help explain differences in outcomes between countries. To collect
this data,
a researcher will visit each participating country once, to collect
descriptive data on the content and quality of each helpline service, and
collect background information pertaining to relevant organisational factors.
Each
participating country will be able to compare their results
to those of other countries - the results will help
to increase the quality standards and effectiveness of each
quitline.
The dissemination of the results will take place through
the European Network of Quitlines. The recommendations of
the project will be
implemented practically
through the support and guidance of the Network.
| What
have we acheived so far? |
|
The ENQ implements its objectives by holding regular steering groups,
training programmes, and European conferences, bringing established
partners and newer European countries together. Technological and
web based issues are addressed and the Network has been developing
the website and the web based counselling. The training seminars
have addressed organizational structures, counsellor training programmes,
counselling protocols, latest scientific evidence and research, capacity
building, technology, publicity, media skills and fundraising. The
network will look at special training programmes from disability
access specialists and contact between partners and disability networks.
Diversity training programmes will be used to promote contact between
partners and minority ethnic networks.
Year One:
The European Network of Quitlines held two
meetings in Ireland (Irish Cancer Society in Dublin) and Germany
(Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum in Heidelberg).
A European Conference was also held in Barcelona in September 2001. The event
was well supported with delegates from every European member state apart from
Austria, and other countries such as Poland, Israel, Norway and Switzerland.
Expert’s in Tobacco cessation from Australia, New Zealand and the United
States also made presentations during the event.
Year Two:
A support visit from Portugal to the United Kingdom took place and subsequently
went live with their Quitline in April 2002 as a direct result of advice, mentoring
and help from the European Network of Quitlines.
Italy also was successfully in completing a fully operational line and Greece
had two fully operational lines dedicated to smoking cessation.
Karen Bowden was invited to present on the European Network of Quitlines in Warsaw
at the 3rd European Conference on Tobacco or Health
Hans Giljam presented on the European Network of Quitlines at the North American
Quitlines Conference
Year Three:
The European Network of Quitlines held two steering groups
in Lisbon and Athens and two training seminars In Rome and Oslo. This year has
seen the launch of
the Arabic Quitline UK and the first edition of the Guide to Best Practice, translated
and published in three languages, English, French and German. During the seminar
in Rome, Stephen Rollinick presented on "Motivational Interviewing in a
telephone counselling setting". In Athens delegates presented on training
accreditations in Smoking Cessation treatments, and the viability of outsourcing
IT call centres.
The Portuguese reported back on successful results 6 months after the first year
since establishing the Portuguese Quitline, with the help of mentoring from the
European Network of Quitlines.
Steve Crone presented on the European Network of Quitlines at the North American
Quitlines Conference on producing a cost effective, evidence based sustainable
quitline model, accessible to countries without large budgets
Year Four
The European Network of Quitlines will be holding a seminar in London, during
the summer 2004 to officially invite on all ten-accession countries onto the
European Network of Quitlines.
The ENQ will be concentrating on the development of ENQ Quality Standard Accreditation,
and publication of the helpline model and Code of Practice, incorporating best
practice tools, which will inform, support and advance policy development in
tobacco as one of the priorities of the Community Health Strategy.
Pan European Research Project - STIVORO/ENQ
The STIVORO/ENQ research will
assess what factors influence success in conjunction with Quitlines. Special
attention will be paid to the impact of new EU directives on European Quitlines,
for example quitline numbers appearing on cigarette packs, in conjunction with
the European directive 2001/37/EC on labelling.
The Project will result in concrete recommendations on how Quitlines should be
organised and run to have the maximum impact on smoking behaviour. STIVORO/ENQ
propose an effectiveness study using one pretest and one postest. The key areas
of the questionnaire have been mapped out with member groups. A sample of 500
callers per country will be screened, and then 12 months after the call, the
respondents will be interviewed by telephone from a central research centre.
Various outcome measures will be used to assess success:
- Appreciation of the help that was received,
- Progression in
stage of change,
- Increase in self - efficacy,
- Use of evidence based cessation method,
- Reduction in tobacco
consumption,
- Successful quit attempts and long-term smoking cessation.
The quantitative data on callers will be supplemented with
qualitative process data on the counsellors, the Quitlines
and other relevant information
that
can help explain differences in outcomes between countries. To collect
this data,
a researcher will visit each participating country once, to collect descriptive
data on the content and quality of each helpline service, and collect
background information pertaining to relevant organisational factors.
Each participating country will be able to compare their results to those
of other countries - the results will help to increase the quality
standards and effectiveness of each quitline.
The dissemination of the results will take place through the European
Network of Quitlines. The recommendations of the project will be implemented
practically
through the support and guidance of the Network.
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