title: Impact of Canadian tobacco packaging policy on quitline reach and reach equity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the impact of the new Canadian tobacco package warning labels with a quitline toll-free phone number for seven provincial quitlines, focusing on treatment reach and reach equity in selected vulnerable groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  A quasi-experimental design assessed changes in new incoming caller characteristics, treatment reach for selected vulnerable sub-populations and the extent to which this reach is equitable, before and after the introduction of the labels in June, 2012. Administrative call data on smokers were collected at intake. Pre- and post-label treatment reach and reach equity differences were analysed by comparing the natural logarithms of the reach and reach equity statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the six months following the introduction of the new warning labels, 86.4% of incoming new callers indicated seeing the quitline number on the labels. Treatment reach for the six-month period significantly improved compared to the same six-month period the year before from .042% to .114% (p<.0001) and reach equity significantly improved for young males (p<.0001) and those with high school education or less (p=.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The introduction of the new tobacco warning labels with a quitline toll-free number in Canada was associated with an increase in treatment reach. The toll-free number on tobacco warning labels aided in reducing tobacco related inequalities, such as improved reach equity for young males and those with high school or less education.
authors.affiliation: Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, Canada; School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Canada. Electronic address: nbbaskerville@waterloo.ca.
authors.forename: N Bruce
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Baskerville
authors.affiliation: Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, Canada.
authors.forename: Lynda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hayward
authors.affiliation: Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, University of Waterloo, Canada.
authors.forename: K Stephen
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.affiliation: Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, Canada; Institute for Global Tobacco Control, Department of Health, Behavior & Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States.
authors.forename: Ryan David
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.affiliation: Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, Canada; School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Canada.
authors.forename: H Sharon
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D004522:Educational Status; D015277:Hotlines; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011356:Product Labeling / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012737:Sex Factors; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D062789:Tobacco Products; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Quitlines; Special populations; Tobacco control; Tobacco packaging; Tobacco use; Utilisation