The Emerging Global Tobacco Treatment Workforce: Characteristics of Tobacco Treatment Specialists Trained in Council-Accredited Training Programs from 2017 to 2019

Christine E. Sheffer, Abdulmohsen Al-Zalabani, Andrée Aubrey, Rasha Bader, Claribel Beltrez, Susan Bennett, Ellen Carl, Caroline Cranos, Audrey Darville, Jennifer Greyber, Maher Karam-Hage, Feras Hawari, Tresza Hutcheson, Victoria Hynes, Chris Kotsen, Frank Leone, Jamie McConaha, Heather McCary, Crystal Meade, Cara Messick, Susan K. Morgan, Cindy W. Morris, Thomas Payne, Jessica Retzlaff, Wendy Santis, Etta Short, Therese Shumaker, Michael Steinberg and Ann Wendling
Additional contact information
Christine E. Sheffer: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
Abdulmohsen Al-Zalabani: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training and Certification Program at College of Medicine, Taibah University, Madinah 42353, Saudi Arabia
Andrée Aubrey: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Course, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
Rasha Bader: Tobacco Dependence Treatment Training, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman 11941, Jordan
Claribel Beltrez: Rutgers Tobacco Dependence Program, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
Susan Bennett: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
Ellen Carl: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
Caroline Cranos: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
Audrey Darville: BREATHE Online Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40504, USA
Jennifer Greyber: Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, Duke Smoking Cessation Program, Duke Cancer Center, Durham, NC 27705, USA
Maher Karam-Hage: Tobacco Treatment Training Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Feras Hawari: Tobacco Dependence Treatment Training, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman 11941, Jordan
Tresza Hutcheson: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
Victoria Hynes: Tobacco Treatment Education & Training Program, MaineHealth Center for Tobacco Independence, Portland, ME 04101, USA
Chris Kotsen: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10022, USA
Frank Leone: Comprehensive Smoking Treatment Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Jamie McConaha: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training and Certificate Program, School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, Pittsburg, PA 15282, USA
Heather McCary: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Certification Program, The Breathing Association, Columbus, OH 43203, USA
Crystal Meade: Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, Wellness and Prevention Department, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
Cara Messick: National Jewish Health ® , Denver, CO 80206, USA
Susan K. Morgan: Tobacco Treatment Training Program, School of Dentistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Cindy W. Morris: Rocky Mountain Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Thomas Payne: ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education and Research, University of Mississippi Medical Center Cancer Institute, Jackson, MS 39213, USA
Jessica Retzlaff: Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs, Inc., Madison, WI 53704, USA
Wendy Santis: Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs, Inc., Madison, WI 53704, USA
Etta Short: Optum’s Quit for Life Program ® , Eden Prairie, MN 55344, USA
Therese Shumaker: Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
Michael Steinberg: Rutgers Tobacco Dependence Program, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA
Ann Wendling: Tobacco Cessation Program, Healthways, A Sharecare Company, Franklin, TN 37067, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: Tobacco use is projected to kill 1 billion people in the 21st century. Tobacco Use Disorder (TUD) is one of the most common substance use disorders in the world. Evidence-based treatment of TUD is effective, but treatment accessibility remains very low. A dearth of specially trained clinicians is a significant barrier to treatment accessibility, even within systems of care that implement brief intervention models. The treatment of TUD is becoming more complex and tailoring treatment to address new and traditional tobacco products is needed. The Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs (Council) is the accrediting body for Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) training programs. Between 2016 and 2019, n = 7761 trainees completed Council-accredited TTS training programs. Trainees were primarily from North America (92.6%) and the Eastern Mediterranean (6.1%) and were trained via in-person group workshops in medical and academic settings. From 2016 to 2019, the number of Council-accredited training programs increased from 14 to 22 and annual number of trainees increased by 28.5%. Trainees have diverse professional backgrounds and work in diverse settings but were primarily White (69.1%) and female (78.7%) located in North America. Nearly two-thirds intended to implement tobacco treatment services in their setting; two-thirds had been providing tobacco treatment for 1 year or less; and 20% were sent to training by their employers. These findings suggest that the training programs are contributing to the development of a new workforce of TTSs as well as the development of new programmatic tobacco treatment services in diverse settings. Developing strategies to support attendance from demographically and geographically diverse professionals might increase the proportion of trainees from marginalized groups and regions of the world with significant tobacco-related inequities.

Keywords: smoking cessation; health care professional training; tobacco dependence treatment; evidence-based practice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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