Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training (CTTRT) Blog

The Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training (CTTRT) works with college interns who are interested in learning more about tobacco treatment, research and training. Emma Formosi from Simmons College is one such intern. Emma worked with us over the summer of 2017.  This semester, she worked on a project and created a 'Seasonal Quit Tobacco Calendar’ based on what she learned as an intern at the Center. The calendar is designed to give a tobacco user a cue each month that can help them towards their goal of quitting tobacco. The calendar is interactive so a client or patient can personalize it by; (1) Writing down quitting goals like the quit date. (2) Writing notes and their thoughts on quitting tobacco. (3) Adding their own photos that will also serve as a reminder of why they want to quit tobacco.                                                                      
To view, print or use the calendar click here >>

As tobacco treatment specialists, our goal is to improve the quality of life of individuals by assisting them to quit smoking. Having a good understanding of the health consequences of tobacco use and the benefits of quitting will help you in your work with patients and clients. Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) developed a handout that shows how smoking can damage many parts of the body.  Click on the picture (on the left) to download and print the handout. This is a good resource that can serve as a reminder of how smoking affects different body systems and organs. You could also share this handout with your patients or clients when you talk to them about quitting smoking. Read more >>

Tobacco use causes over 6 million deaths per year worldwide and leads to hundreds of billions of dollars spent for medical costs and lost productivity. Effective, evidence-based treatment services for tobacco dependence such as those recommended by US Public Health Service's Clinical Guidelines: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update exist but are not always accessible to tobacco users. While many factors impact the availability and accessibility of treatment, one important factor needed to provide such services is the presence of skilled tobacco treatment professionals/Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS). Read more >> 

Since 2016, Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) training program offered by Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training has been sponsored and conducted by OneBreath and Society for Respiratory Care in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  The TTS training is offered to all health care providers who work with smokers or those seeking a career in tobacco treatment specialty.  UMass TTS program trained more than 13 Saudi tobacco program directors who conduct TTS trainings in different health care sectors and regions of Saudi Arabia. Read more >>

Prior to 2005, the smoking cessation program at Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia was centered around corporate and community health fairs; aligning with national and international tobacco control events rather than on an established need. The health fairs aimed at providing information and answering questions only. Medical literature has shown that health fairs are ineffective in initiating and sustaining behavior change. Read more >>

It might sound strange, but that’s the question that I asked when I did my first smoking cessation study almost a decade ago to test if mindfulness training could help  people quit. Spoiler alert: we found  that it was five times better than a  well-established, standardized in-person program. Read more >>