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Download the MTCP FY2009 Annual report here

Letter from the Director

Helping lower-income smokers quit has been a major focus of the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program's work in FY 2009.  People with household incomes of less than $25,000 smoke at a rate of 24.9%, well above the state average of 16.1%. 

Low-income people are a vulnerable population that traditionally has less access to the many forms of support needed to quit smoking.  The health consequences of smoking disproportionately affect this group, but the individual economic impact on a family is also substantial.  When a pack-a-day smoker quits, he or she frees up nearly $3,000 a year for food, housing, and other necessities.

As the downturn in the economy hit low-income populations especially hard in FY 2009, the tobacco industry has continued its efforts to keep people in poorer neighborhoods addicted to their increasingly expensive products.  Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program (MTCP) youth programs have been fighting back, working with local governments and retailers to reduce the amount of tobacco advertising in their communities.

A series of nicotine patch promotions conducted by MTCP in FY 2009 provided nearly 20,000 Massachusetts residents with the tools to quit smoking and revealed a large demand for cessation medicines and services.  MTCP's work designing, promoting, and evaluating the new smoking cessation benefit for MassHealth members further documented that demand.  MTCP's evaluation of the benefit also found that when smokers have access to the tools they need to quit smoking, they will use them, greatly increasing their ability to quit.

MTCP focused its secondhand smoke education efforts on parents in low-income communities.  Community-based programs partnered with direct service agencies to educate parents about the importance of protecting their children from secondhand smoke.  MTCP produced and distributed low-literacy materials in English and Spanish to make the message more accessible.

MTCP's accomplishments in FY 2009 were made possible through a budget of $12.1 million, the support of Governor Patrick and the Legislature, and the guidance of Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Department of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach.  With their help, we look forward to further driving down smoking rates and the associated health and economic impact on our most vulnerable populations in FY 2010.

Lois Keithly, PhD, MSMIS
Director, Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program
Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Download the MTCP FY2009 Annual report here