Initiative Challenges Family Physicians to Ask, Act on Patients' Tobacco Use

October 26, 2005 - The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has chosen Mary Theobald Marketing to manage a year-long initiative aimed at getting its 94,000 physicians to ASK patients about tobacco use, then to ACT to help them quit.

Studies have proved that a physician's advice to quit is an important motivator. Family physicians, then, have a tremendous opportunity to make a significant impact on the smoking habits of Americans, as nearly one in four office visits is made to a family physician. That's 223 MILLION opportunities each year to intervene!

Theobald will manage the development of several activities and resources to help family physicians and their practice teams help patients kick the habit:

• A tobacco cessation website with free online materials physicians can print out or order to use in their practice.
• Practice Tookit.
• Quitline referral cards.
• Evidence-based cessation education, including the AAFP's first CME Webcast.
• A promotional campaign encouraging family physicians to Ask and Act.