Preventive Medicine 31, 742–751 (2000) doi:10.1006/pmed.2000.0766, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on International Quit and Win 1996: Standardized Evaluation in Selected Campaign Countries Tellervo Korhonen, Ph.D., 1 Alfred McAlister, Ph.D., Mikko Laaksonen, M.S., Tiina Laatikainen, M.D., and Pekka Puska, Ph.D. National Public Health Institute, Finland And the Working Group of the International Quit and Win 1996 2 Results. The participation rates varied from 0.1 to Background. Quit and Win ’96 recruited 70,000 smok- 2%, being highest in North Karelia, Finland, and Pitka ¨ r- ers in 25 countries. The participants tried to abstain anta, Russia. The abstinence rates varied from 12 to from smoking for at least 4 weeks. All participating 35%, being highest in Hungary, Ukraine, and Russia, countries followed the jointly agreed rules. Half of the where the prevalence of smoking is also relatively high. countries implemented the campaign nationally and The population impacts varied from 0.02 to 0.5%, being half, regionally. highest in Pitka ¨ ranta, where both the reach and the Methods. A 1-year follow-up study was conducted in efficacy of the Quit and Win were relatively high. the participating countries. The aim of this study was Conclusions. There was great variation in effective- to provide a standardized evaluation based on data ness, with population impact being affected more by from eight European campaign sites. Three measures participation rate than abstinence rate. Quit and Win were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the cam- contests are feasible interventions in diverse Euro- paigns. The first measure was the participation rate, pean populations. To improve the effectiveness, future which is the proportion of participants among the campaigns should increase the reach of the interven- smoking population targeted in each site. The second tion.  2000 American Health Foundation and Academic Press measure was a cautious estimate for the continuous 1- Key Words: smoking cessation; Quit and Win contest; year abstinence rate, which is the proportion of ab- follow-up studies. stainers among the follow-up sample regarding all non- respondents as relapsed. Third was the measure of the population impact, which is the efficacy of the inter- INTRODUCTION vention multiplied by its reach, where the efficacy A smoking cessation contest, such as Quit and Win, equals the abstinence rate and the reach equals the is a method to help large numbers of smokers to quit. participation rate. This idea was originally used in the 1980s in connection with some U.S. intervention projects [1–3]. Thereafter, 1 To whom reprint requests should be addressed at Vapaalankuja 2 B, FIN-01650 Vantaa, Finland. Fax: +358-9-47448338. E-mail: it was tested and developed in connection with the telle@mbnet.fi. North Karelia Project in Finland, first in the province 2 Paula Mannonen, Finnish Centre for Health Promotion; Ms. of North Karelia and thereafter, nationwide [4]. After Eeva-Liisa Urjanheimo, North Karelia Project; Professor Endre Mor- that, the method was applied in an international con- ava, CINDI Programme of Hungary, Semmelweiss Medical Univer- text within the World Health Organization’s Coun- sity; Dr. Tatyana Kamardina, National Centre for Preventive Medi- cine, Russia; Dr. Mihael Uhanov and Dr. Tamara Gumina, Central trywide Integrated Noncommunicable Disease Inter- Hospital of Pitka ¨ ranta, Republic of Karelia; Dr. Gabriela Mitterpa- vention (CINDI) framework [5]. Thirteen countries chova, Specialized State Institute of Public Health, Slovakia; Dr. participated in the first international Quit and Win Esteban Salto, CINDI-Catalonia Programme, Coordinating Center in 1994 [6]. In 1996 the international Quit and Win of Quit and Win Spain, Department of Health and Social Security, gathered 25 countries from different parts of the world. Autonomous Government of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain; Dr. Ana Alvarez, Department of Health & Welfare, Autonomous Government The National Public Health Institute (KTL) in Finland of Castilla y Leon, Valladolid, Spain; Professor Helios Pardell CINDI- has coordinated these international undertakings. Catalonia Program, Coordinating Center of Quit and Win Spain, Quit and Win ’96 recruited approximately 70,000 Department of Health and Social Security, Autonomous Government smokers. They were encouraged to abstain from smok- of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain; Dr. Elena Kvasha, Research Institute of Cardiology, Kyiv, Ukraine. ing for at least 4 weeks, in order to be eligible for the 742 0091-7435/00 $35.00 Copyright  2000 by American Health Foundation and Academic Press All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.