Commentary: How Can We Help People Quit Smoking? Pay Them.

Thursday is the 47th year of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout. One of the longest-running awareness campaigns in the U.S., the Smokeout involves cancer societies, health organizations, and anti-smoking advocates using social and print media to remind Americans that now is the right time to quit.

Each year Americans are subjected to over 200 national health awareness days, weeks, or months. These campaigns cover everything from autism to appropriate use of hospital linens. They are certainly effective in raising awareness over their target issues, a necessary first step in shifting our habits. But awareness campaigns can only be effective if additional anti-smoking supportive efforts—such as offering financial incentives for smokers to quit—are utilized.