Scaling Tobacco Cessation in HIV Care: National Quitlines as an Effective Alternative to Resource-Intensive Interventions

Highlights

• Proactive referral to a national Quitline achieved smoking abstinence rates comparable to more intensive nurse-led counseling and nicotine replacement therapy.
• Integration of tobacco cessation services into routine HIV outpatient clinics in Vietnam proved feasible and safe.
• The study highlights the potential for leveraging existing national Quitline infrastructure in 42 low- and middle-income countries to address the tobacco epidemic among people living with HIV.

The Clinical Context: Tobacco Use Among People Living with HIV