EX Program by Truth Initiative® leans into digital health boom to increase access for tobacco users, leading to record growth

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The EX Program from Truth Initiative^®, the national public health organization inspiring lives free from smoking, vaping and nicotine, broke important new ground in 2021, with sharp increases in both new clients and enhancements to its enterprise tobacco cessation solution for adults. The digital health program for tobacco addiction is now helping more than 9.7 million adults around the nation, including through Medicaid plans in Nevada, Iowa, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The EX Program grew its member base in 2021 by almost 30% due in large part to the addition of 25 new clients and the shift in demand for interactive quit-smoking tools and strategies to help individuals break free from tobacco addiction.

In 2021, tobacco sales increased among adults and nationwide people made fewer calls to telephone quitlines. While most tobacco users want to quit, they often lack easy access to the support that they need. Each year, nearly 70% of adult smokers in the U.S. and nearly two-thirds (62%) of e-cigarette users say they want to quit. The need for mental health support has also risen during the pandemic, with about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression, up from 1 in 10 adults who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019. There are troubling connections between nicotine use and mental health symptoms, including the fact that nicotine dependence can worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression, making cessation resources a key component in mental health support.   

In 2021, the EX Program expanded its offering to be fully available in Spanish and to include an 8-week supply of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). It also added a real-time dashboard for clients to view valuable benchmark data tracking enrollment numbers, participant engagement, and more.

Through a recent partnership between Ohio's Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) and the EX Program, local residents looking to quit were able to get the help they needed. One EX Program participant said, "I heard about this online and I needed patches to quit. I'm just a struggling single mother so it's hard to afford to buy patches. This is so great I could cry with joy, thank you!"

"We are extremely pleased with the growth of the EX Program," said Dr. Amanda Graham, chief of innovations at Truth Initiative. "Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, our greatest attribute over the past couple of years has been the ability to focus on what really matters, which is helping tobacco users overcome addiction. We look forward to helping even more organizations bring evidence-based digital tools and human support to more people looking to quit for good."

Developed in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, the EX Program is an enterprise-level, digital health program for tobacco addiction for employers and health plans. The EX Program grew out of Truth Initiative's field-leading research and long history of building engaging digital interventions. To date, more than 910,000 participants have enrolled in EX, developing the skills and confidence that are critical for quitting tobacco successfully. Research has shown that individuals who use all components of the EX quit plan are four times more likely to quit than others.

For more information on the EX Program, please visit theexprogram.com. For more information about Truth Initiative, please visit truthinitiative.org.

About the EX^® Program
The EX Program is the only quit-tobacco program that combines the scientific leadership in digital tobacco solutions from Truth Initiative with a proven treatment model from Mayo Clinic. This program provides the personalized support that tobacco users—smokers, vapers, and chew tobacco users—need for the behavioral, social, and physical aspects of addiction. The EX Program includes a personalized quit plan with interactive exercises; live chat coaching with experts; the longest-running and largest community of current and former tobacco users; interactive text messaging tailored to the participant; and quit medication delivered to the participant's home. Clients receive real-time reporting through an interactive dashboard, customized promotional materials, a dedicated client success manager, and more. Visit theexprogram.com for details.

About Truth Initiative^®
Truth Initiative is a national public health organization dedicated to achieving a culture where all young people reject smoking, vaping and nicotine and a future where tobacco and nicotine addiction are a thing of the past. In 2020, we celebrated 20 years of saving lives and preventing millions of youth from smoking. Our impact has helped drive the teen smoking rate down from 23% in 2000 to under 3% in 2021. The truth about tobacco and the tobacco industry are at the heart of our proven-effective and nationally recognized truth^® public education campaign. As youth e-cigarette use threatens to addict a new generation to nicotine, we are leading the fight against tobacco and nicotine addiction in all forms. Our rigorous scientific research and policy studies, community and youth engagement programs supporting populations at high risk of using tobacco, and innovation in tobacco dependence treatment are also helping to end one of the most critical public health battles of our time. Based in Washington D.C., our organization, formerly known as the American Legacy Foundation, was established and funded through the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. To learn more, visit truthinitiative.org.

SOURCE Truth Initiative