Table 1

 Characteristics of callers registering with the national Quitline in the period associated with the new smoke-free environments law and in a prior comparison period

Pre-intervention period*Intervention period*
Number%Number%
*The pre-intervention period was December 2003 and January 2004. The intervention period was December 2004 and January 2005.
†Some of these vouchers will be issued to people who had registered with the Quitline outside of the two study periods.
NRT, nicotine replacement therapy.
New callers registered280771.2%399169.9%
Callers who re-registered with the Quitline after having previously used it and then relapsed113828.8%172230.1%
Total3945100.0%5713100.0%
Caller sex
    Female211653.6%307353.8%
    Male180445.7%260245.5%
    Missing data250.6%380.7%
    Total3945100.0%5713100.0%
Caller ethnicity
    Māori72018.3%106518.6%
    Pacific peoples1203.0%1642.9%
    NZ European/other302376.6%436576.4%
    Refused822.1%1192.1%
    Total3945100.0%5713100.0%
Caller age group (years)
    15–2474819.0%101617.8%
    25–34101925.8%144625.3%
    35–4496124.4%143425.1%
    45–5461915.7%95416.7%
    55–643508.9%5008.8%
    >641513.8%2434.3%
    Not reported and under age 15972.5%1202.1%
    Total3945100.0%5713100.0%
Reported source of information about the Quitline (just new callers)
    Friends and family82929.5%96424.2%
    Television advertising78127.8%101625.5%
    Health worker54219.3%59114.8%
    Cigarette packet2328.3%3518.8%
    Radio advertising341.2%310.8%
    Newspaper250.9%711.8%
    “Don’t know”371.3%1523.8%
    Other2488.8%46211.6%
    Missing/not answered792.8%3538.8%
    Total2807100.0%3991100.0%
NRT vouchers issued by the Quitline to smokers
    First voucher187838.5%361040.0%
    Second voucher†133327.3%251927.9%
    Third or other voucher†167034.2%288732.0%
    Total4881100.0%9016100.0%