Mapping tobacco quitlines in North America: Signaling pathways to improve treatment

Objectives. This study was designed to better understand how the network of quitlines in the North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC) interact and share new knowledge on quitline practices. Methods. Network relationship data were collected from all 63 publicly funded quitlines in North America, including information sharing, partner trust, and reputation. Results. There was a strong tendency for US and Canadian quitlines to seek information from other quitlines in the same country, with few seeking information from quitlines from the other country. Quitlines with the highest reputation tended to more centrally located in the network, but the NAQC coordinating organization is highly central to the quitline network - thus demonstrating their role as a broker of quitline information. Conclusions. This first "snapshot" of US and Canadian quitlines demonstrated that smoking cessation quitlines in North America are not isolated, but are part of an interconnected network, with some organizations more central than others. As quitline use expands with the inclusion of national toll-free numbers on cigarette packs, how quitlines share information to improve practice will become increasingly important.