Introduction:
Smoking is a major health concern in Ukraine, causing 130,000 deaths annually. According to a 2023 WHO survey, 27% of respondents currently use tobacco. While 63% of smokers want to quit, success rates are low without support. The smoking cessation service (https://stopsmoking.org.ua/) offers professional recommendations on how to quit smoking, increasing awareness of the adverse health risks of tobacco use. Increasing awareness of the benefits of quitting smoking and promoting the smoking cessation service.

Methods:
The PHC of the MOH of Ukraine, NGO Life, and WHO Country Office in Ukraine conducted the multichannel mass-media campaign “Quit smoking with professional support”. The creative concepts and messages were validated through qualitative research, including in-depth focus group studies with the target audience. The campaign materials included video and audio ads, outdoor banners, Google banner ads, and multiple waves of social media campaigns. They also included supportive messages about the benefits of quitting and a call to use the smoking cessation service.

Results:
The campaign materials were disseminated through television, radio, Kyiv metro, outdoor advertising, and an online campaign. Numerous channels were engaged as social advertising pro bono, saving hundreds of thousands of US dollars. The available data on campaign reach is diverse. Estimated that the campaign garnered 35 million impressions on YouTube and Google. The Facebook campaign achieved more than 1 million impressions, radio inter-program ads reached almost 970,000 listeners, and outdoor ads were exposed to more than 18 million potential views. During the campaign, the total number of smoking cessation service visitors increased by 400% in total compared to the period before the campaign.

Conclusions:
Regular smoking cessation mass-media campaigns can increase quitting success and change social norms around tobacco use. Mass media communication is an integral component that supports the tobacco control strategy. During the war, it is especially important to continue strong tobacco control activities and provide support to smokers who want to quit. We can increase their chances of success by providing additional support and resources to smokers who want to quit. A government-funded smoking cessation hotline would be a valuable tool in this effort.