Quit and Win smoking cessation contest for Wisconsin college students.

Objective: To determine effectiveness of smoking cessation contests at 3 Wisconsin colleges.

Design: Pre-post program evaluation, with 6-month follow-up.

Setting: Two-year technical college, private 4-year college, and state university in spring and fall of 2000.

Subjects: One hundred fifty-two college smokers.

Interventions: Students participated in 7-week stop-smoking contests. Successful quitters were eligible for prizes. Smoking status was assessed at 6-month follow-up by telephone survey.

Results: The cessation rate for 18- to 24-year-olds was 30% at the end of the contests. At the 6-month followup, 12% of participants were not smoking. Participants who smoked fewer cigarettes per month were more likely to quit smoking at the end of the contests. Although no difference was found between 2- and 4-year college participants, heavier smokers from 4-year colleges were more likely to quit.

Conclusions: Because of their similarity to effective smoking promotions, contests should be considered a cost-effective strategy for this age group.