In Denmark smoking cessation counselling is based in the 98 municipalities and is carried out by trained smoking cessation counselors. It is free of charge however the demand for the ser-vices is generally low – especially among heavy smokers (smoking 15 or more cigarettes a day). Latest data shows that 22.4 pct. of the adult population smokes in Denmark. 16.9 pct. smoke daily and 7.9 pct. are heavy smokers. The prevalence has not changed since 2011. From 2014 to 2017, 27 municipalities received a national grant aimed at the population of heavy smokers to:
- increase the number of heavy smokers who receive cessation counselling
- strengthen the smoking cessation counselling by offering subsidized smoking cessation medication
- strengthen the referral system from the primary and secondary health care sector to smok-ing cessation counseling in the municipalities.
The results from the project show that subsidized cessation medication and a strengthened re-ferral system is an effective way to increase the demand for smoking cessation counselling. The number of heavy smokers receiving cessation counselling increased by more than 500 pct. during the project. The results also indicate Very Brief Advice (VBA) is an effective method to identify smokers who wish to quit smoking and to refer them to smoking cessation. The smoking cessation rates for the smokers participating in this project were similar to the cessa-tion rates of the general population.