Getting ready to quit smoking? - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

SEATTLE – March 24, 2014 – The time is right – you’re ready to quit smoking. Begin with just a click at WebQuit.org.

WebQuit is an online quit-smoking program and research study being conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The WebQuit study, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute, is testing two online quit-smoking programs to learn which one is most useful to help people quit.

Join WebQuit now to get free, expert guidance to help you kick the habit, including:

• A step-by-step guide to quitting
• Tools to help deal with urges to smoke
• Help staying motivated while you’re quitting
• 24/7 online access so you can use WebQuit when you need it

In addition to getting support in quitting smoking, you’ll be paid up to $105 for filling out three surveys over the next year. You’ll also be helping other smokers by contributing to important research.

“Our research team is devoted to finding the best online tools for quitting smoking. So if you’re a smoker who’s getting ready to quit, I hope you’ll take the first step right now and join WebQuit,” said Jonathan Bricker, Ph.D., the study’s principal investigator and a scientist who specializes in smoking cessation. “WebQuit provides online tools with the goal of helping you quit smoking and experiencing all the personal benefits that come with it.”

Who can join WebQuit?

Webquit is looking for U.S. smokers over age 18 who smoke daily, can read English, have Internet access and want to quit in the next 30 days.

If you’re ready to quit smoking, visit WebQuit.org and fill out a short online survey to find out if you are eligible. If you are, you’ll be asked to fill out another online survey about you and your smoking. Then you’ll be randomly assigned (like tossing a coin) to one of two groups, both of which will have access to an online quit-smoking program.

Over the next year, you’ll be asked to fill out three more surveys either by phone or mail. Keeping your information private is important. Your survey information will be entered on a secure website and kept confidential by WebQuit staff.

More about WebQuit principal investigator Jonathan Bricker

Bricker is an associate member of the Fred Hutch Public Health Sciences Division and an associate affiliate professor of psychology at the University of Washington. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles and currently serves as the senior editor of the scientific journal Addiction. Visit WebQuit to learn more about his research.

For more information, email WebQuit@fhcrc.org or visit WebQuit.org.

Editor’s note: Related photographs are available upon request.