Tobacco Cessation

The average person who smokes makes several quit attempts before they successfully beat the addiction. MD Anderson tackles the barriers to cessation at an individual and population level. Those barriers include access to cessation services, cost and knowledge gaps among health care providers on treating tobacco addiction.

Clinical and community-based services include adult cessation programs that include pharmacotherapy, counseling and quit-lines that offer follow-up. Community-based cessation services meet the patient where they are so that they can discuss their options to quitting, create a quit plan and take steps to quit.

Training Health Care Providers

MD Anderson’s Tobacco Treatment Training Program offers a training for health care providers to treat tobacco dependence. To date, we have trained more than 1,400 from across the U.S. and seven countries.

Through Project TEACH ECHO, network connects with over 500 health care providers nationwide and globally to increase provider knowledge and skills to treat tobacco and nicotine addiction among the patients and community they serve.

Transforming Clinics to Support Communities

MD Anderson’s Tobacco Cessation Clinic Enhancement Program works with clinics that serve underinsured and underserved populations, creating tobacco-free cultures within these clinics. By providing staff training and evidence-based resources, this program enables clinics to offer the support patients need to quit.  

Helping Young People Quit Vaping and Tobacco

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is proud to partner with the Truth Initiative to offer This is Quitting (TIQ) to Texas young people ages 13 and older. Youth can text VAPEFREETX to 88709 to receive free, anonymous, 24/7 support through this program. Parents of young vapers can text QUIT to 202-899-7550 to receive messages designed specifically for them, including tips and advice for helping to support their young person quit. If you would like to receive materials to promote This Is Quitting, complete this interest form.

MD Anderson alongside 20 public health, medical and government organizations created a national repository of tools and resources for those seeking to help youth quit tobacco use. Through this webpage, parents, educators, health care professionals and others who work with young people can find the latest information, resources, and programs created specifically for youth tobacco cessation.