Smoking Kills, Smoking Costs

Carrot Releases New Smoking Cessation and Cost Savings Data from Participants in the Pivot Smoking Cessation Program

Carrot Inc., a leader in helping people quit tobacco, today released compelling data gathered from users of Pivot, its clinically proven tobacco cessation platform that integrates an easy-to-use app, an interactive sensor, human coaching, pharmacotherapy, and behavioral science. Almost 15,000 tobacco users have participated in the Pivot program to date. Published clinical trials demonstrate a quit rate of 35%.

Data highlights include:

• Savings– Of Pivot users making progress, the median amount saved per day by reducing or quitting tobacco is $3.50, or about one grande latte each day. These savings add up to more than $1,200 per year for Pivot users who reduced or quit.
• Reduction in cigarette consumption– On average, Pivot participants enter the program smoking 20 cigarettes per day. For those that reduce or quit their consumption of tobacco, the average reduction is 50%. That’s one half of a pack of cigarettes avoided per day, on average per person, and over 180 packs of cigarettes avoided per year, on average per person.
• Time it takes to reduce/quit– Reducing or quitting tobacco takes time, and Pivot helps users find the skills over time to be successful. The longer a user is in the program, the higher the success rates. It’s currently peaking at around 140 days on the platform.
• High success rate– Of all enrolled Pivoters who remain in the program for six months, have messaged a coach, and given an update about their usage, 56% have made some improvement, whether it’s reducing their daily smoking or quitting entirely.

Tobacco is a significant health problem in the United States, where it is the leading cause of preventable death, killing 480,000 U.S. adults every year (41,000 of whom die from secondhand smoke). Quitting smoking can greatly reduce the risk of premature death and can add as many as 10 years to life expectancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to CDC data, 55.1% of adult smokers said they had tried to quit in the past year and fewer than 1 in 10 adult cigarette smokers succeed in quitting each year.

“Every day we’re inspired by the thousands of Pivoters who have committed to reducing the use of and ultimately quitting tobacco through Pivot,” said David S. Utley, M.D., President and CEO of Carrot. “At Carrot, our mission is to save millions of lives by empowering people to join our program, build skills, meet their coach, practice reducing and quitting, and then ultimately quit. In addition to life-changing health benefits, users are seeing financial rewards which, for some, add up to thousands of dollars in savings per year.”

Among Pivot’s features is the game-changing Pivot Breath Sensor, an FDA-cleared personal sensor that detects carbon monoxide in the user’s breath as they work toward reduction and then quitting for good. The Pivot Sensor is proven to increase motivation and tracks participants’ progress as they reduce cigarette consumption.

Other Pivot features include a personalized mobile app that helps people at any level of readiness to quit smoking; dedicated one-on-one coaching; nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) that can be ordered through the app at no charge; and a vast community of current and former participants.

The Pivot program can be customized by the types of tobacco use (including vaping and smokeless tobacco), quantity of NRT, program length, and which activities are incentivized.

“I really couldn’t afford (smoking) in the first place,” said Irene, a 56-year-old Pivot user in Seymour, Connecticut, who quit after smoking for 40 years. She adds, “Now I don’t have to struggle to pay bills. And can splurge now and then.”

Many people who want to quit smoking can obtain Pivot at no cost through their employer’s health insurance. Recently, Pivot partnered with Virta Health and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to help transform the health of members struggling with smoking cessation and ailments associated with the risks of smoking like Type 2 Diabetes.

References:

https://www.yahoo.com/now/smoking-kills-smoking-costs-carrot-120000280.html

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027005337/en/

About Carrot
Carrot is a digital health company that delivers clinically proven, behavioral science-based solutions that empower people to take control of their personal health. Carrot’s first product is Pivot, a program that is transforming how people quit smoking and the company was named a 2021 UCSF Health Award Finalist for employer prevention and wellness. To learn more, visit carrot.com and follow Carrot on Twitter.