Virginia Department of Health Promotes Tobacco Free Workplaces with QSQM

Healthy employees are good for business. That’s why it’s in everyone’s best interest to prioritize workplace wellness.

The Virginia Department of Health partnered with Quit and Stay Quit Monday (QSQM), a concept of The Monday Campaigns, with the goal of increasing utilization of the state’s smoking quitline.  For 12 consecutive weeks, every Monday, employers and business owners shared custom Quit and Stay Quit messaging with 135,000 employees across the state of Virginia.

To reach tens of thousands of employees, all with diverse backgrounds and levels of awareness, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) distributed weekly content through a variety of communication channels including email, intranet, social media platforms, print materials, informal team huddles.

QSQM provided informational articles, actionable practices, and infographics covering topics such as the dangers of secondhand smoke, how to find a quit-buddy and establish a support, and ways to deal with (and avoid) smoking triggers.

Survey results and worksite-coordinator interviews indicated that the program was practical, useful, and, overall, a major success. There were perceived changes in tobacco usage and renewed intensions to revisit the worksite tobacco use policy, and state quitline data showed a correlation between individuals exposed to the campaign and utilization of the service.

But most importantly, the QSQM campaign allowed the Virginia Department of Health to forge new relationships with worksites across the state and bring awareness to the resources available to individuals looking to quit smoking cigarettes.