Problem:
For two decades Queensland Health’s Quitline service has provided best practice care for tobacco cessation including behavioural counselling and nicotine replacement therapy. Recently the proportion of Queenslanders who vape has increased from 2.1% (2018) to 7.7% (2024). As vaping prevalence increased, there was a need to expand the Quitline model of care, particularly as Queensland Quitline’s Intensive Quit Support Program (IQSP) eligibility was not available to people who exclusively vaped. This gap created inequity in access to evidence-based nicotine-dependence treatment.

What you did:
In March 2023 Quitline was funded to expand the IQSP to include people who exclusively vape. The model of care for tobacco cessation was adapted for vaping, supported by technical system updates, and tailored staff training, including modules on engaging young people. The expansion was guided by evidence on nicotine dependence and best-practice cessation support. Clients are considered suitable for NRT treatment if they vape within 30 minutes of waking or have a history of withdrawal symptoms. In 2024, people under 30 were added as a priority population eligible for IQSP.

Results:
In 2024–25FY, 23.6 % (n=1,567) clients participating in the IQSP reported vaping (792 dual users and 774 exclusive vapers). 52% (n = 818) were female and 43% (n = 681) were male, with the highest participation among those aged 30–39 years. Preliminary evaluation outcomes show that 44% of clients who exclusively vaped reported quitting, whilst 29% of dual users quit both smoking and vaping (12 weeks post first call). Overall, 38% of respondents reported quitting vaping making IQSP clients 7.6 times more likely to quit vaping compared to those attempting an unsupported quit.

Lessons:
Principals of nicotine treatment dependence are transferrable. Clients of all ages are seeking support to quit vaping. The accessibility of vaping and illicit market present additional challenges for sustained cessation.

Background / Problem and Aim:
Australia has a long history of successfully implementing a multi-strategy approach that addresses both supply and demand for tobacco. Telephone-based Quitline services play a vital role in supporting cessation (i.e. demand reduction), yet few have achieved the scale, comprehensiveness, and equity focus demonstrated by Quitline Queensland. This presentation describes the evolution of Quitline Queensland’s Intensive Quit Support Program over two decades, highlighting key design features, adaptation, and lessons for sustaining effective demand reduction.

Methods / Approach:
A descriptive case study approach was used to document the development, structure, and evolution of the Quitline Queensland model. The program includes multi-contact telephone counselling, free mailed nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and extended follow-up for up to 12 months. Continuous quality improvement, data-driven decision-making, and targeted cohort engagement have guided service refinement. Key elements analysed include program design, workforce structure, referral pathways, and the enablers and barriers to reach, engagement, and sustainability.

Results / Key Outcomes:
The program demonstrates strong sustainability, operating continuously for over 20 years with enduring government commitment. In 2022–23, 57% of participants retained to the fourth counselling session reported cessation, with follow-up retention at 3, 6, and 12 months of 40%, 30%, and 22% respectively. Conversion from referral to active participation ranged from 48–70% across target cohorts. Enablers included accessible free NRT, proactive counselling, tailored messaging, and flexible delivery models such as SMS and webchat. Challenges remain in improving reach among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, maintaining long-term engagement, and responding to emerging issues such as vaping and digital disruption.

Implications for Sustaining Prevention:
Quitline Queensland illustrates how a demand reduction focussed intervention can be scaled, institutionalised, and adapted over time. Sustainability has been achieved through a supportive policy environment, equity-driven targeting, robust data systems, and continuous service innovation. The model offers a blueprint for other jurisdictions seeking to embed demand reduction interventions to complement the significant current focus on supply reduction including enforcement. A robust multi-strategy approach that addresses both supply and demand for tobacco and vapes is needed now more than ever.

Relevance to Conference Theme:
This work aligns with the theme Sustaining Prevention by showcasing how an evidence-informed, equity-focused service can evolve over decades while maintaining effectiveness and relevance. It demonstrates how prevention can be embedded through systems, policy, and practice integration.

Problem:
Queensland Health’s Quitline service provides state-wide smoking and vaping cessation support through single and multi-contact programs. Until 2023, evaluation of client outcomes occurred via scheduled follow-up calls at 3-, 6-, and 12-months post program completion. This phone-based model was resource-intensive and excluded clients who completed single contacts or disengaged early in the multi-contact program or used nicotine vaping products. With the increase in vaping and the opportunity to leverage digital tools, a contemporary evaluation framework was needed.

What we did:
Over 12 months, Quitline translated existing evidence and knowledge of cessation experts into a new evaluation framework. Implemented in September 2024, the new evaluation framework aims to incorporate validated measures to assess tobacco and vaping cessation outcomes across all clients. The process involved technical upgrades and comprehensive staff training. Data is now collected at two time points: 12 weeks post-first planning call (EV1), and six months post-first evaluation (EV2). A dual-modality model is used to maximise client engagement and efficiency; clients receive an automated SMS with a link to an online survey, followed by up to three phone attempts. The revised measures include validated questions on point-prevalence and prolonged abstinence for smoking and vaping, plus a feedback question on client experience of the service.

Results:
Between September 2024 and July 2025, 3,113 EV1 and 481 EV2 surveys were sent to clients. Completion rates were 66.8% for EV1 and 62.4% for EV2. Most responses were collected through follow-up phone contact (75.7%) and 24.3% through the online survey. This framework increased opportunities for clients to share experiences and feedback, with compliments increasing from 51 in FY2023–24 to 70 in FY2024–25.

Lessons :
The new evaluation framework enables evaluation cycles to be activated or paused as needed, supporting responsiveness to service priorities. Quitline is preparing for a detailed evaluation of outcome data, with full analysis planned for 2026.

Introduction: Tobacco use is higher in people accessing alcohol and other drug (AOD) services compared to the general population. Yet tobacco reduction and cessation are not regularly implemented as part of AOD treatment as other drugs are considered the priority for both providers and clients. The Butt It Out! Smoking Support Program was piloted in an AOD service to assess the feasibility and impact of an organisation-wide prioritisation of tobacco screening and treatment.
Methods: Butt-it-out was implemented in a specialist AOD service across the Australian Capital Territory to support practitioners to proactively engage with clients about smoking, monitor use over time, and provide timely, supportive referrals to cessation options. In 2022, the Cigarette Dependency Score (CDS-5) was added to the service’s Intake and Review Assessment forms, and a new assessment form was implemented to capture cessation support referrals. A utilisation-focused and participatory evaluation model was employed to evaluate the feasibility and impact of Butt It Out. Operational data (e.g. staff training records), clinical data (data from all AOD assessments), and qualitative data from client and staff interviews were analysed. Evaluation measures included: staff capacity to deliver, client access, client acceptability, effectiveness.
Results: By mid-2022, smoking assessments were routinely conducted. During 2022-2024 referral to NRT, information/advice, and the QuitPro app increased. Referral to Quitline peaked in 2023. Key lessons for implementation included: systematic implementation across the service helped to establish the program; staff felt having smoking an explicit concern helped prioritise treatment and reduced barriers for clients asking for help; clients found the program to be accessible, staff to be non-judgmental, and access to free NRT a key benefit. Clients and staff felt the program supported sustained cessation.
Conclusions: The evaluation demonstrated the feasibility of implementing a routine screening and referral tool for tobacco use into AOD treatment services.

Problem: Commercial tobacco use remains a leading contributor to preventable illness and premature death among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) program, established in 2010, addresses this challenge through community-driven strategies that prevent uptake, support cessation, and reduce exposure to second-hand smoke and vape aerosols. Translating research evidence into practical, culturally appropriate tobacco control approaches requires Aboriginal leadership, community engagement, and long-term collaboration across systems. The challenge lies not only in identifying what works, but in implementing and scaling it in ways that are equitable, impactful, and sustainable.

What you did: In 2015, the Australian Government established the National Best Practice Unit Tackling Indigenous Smoking (NBPU TIS) to support funded organisations to apply evidence-based practice. Led by Indigenous not-for-profit Ninti One Limited in partnership with the University of Canberra Health Research Institute and Edith Cowan University’s Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, the consortium combines Aboriginal leadership with technical and research expertise to ensure that evidence is translated into practice through culturally safe, community-led processes. Aboriginal governance is embedded through Ninti One’s leadership, which guides all NBPU TIS decisions, strategic direction, and engagement. This ensures that implementation is not just evidence-based but also culturally grounded, locally relevant, and aligned with self-determination principles. As part of its continuous quality improvement (CQI) process, NBPU TIS routinely evaluates its own performance and partnerships with TIS-funded organisations to ensure evidence translation remains effective and community-driven. Six-monthly online surveys conducted between 2016 and 2023 (n=351 responses) captured feedback from funded organisations on the quality of NBPU TIS support and collaboration. Survey questions addressed seven domains: Contact, Training and Development, Sharing Best Practice, Monitoring and Evaluation, Cultural Understanding, Collaborative Working, and Shared Values. These evaluations helped identified strengths, informed improvements, and refined NBPU TIS processes, thereby strengthening pathways between research, policy and practice and demonstrating CQI in action.

Results: Survey findings showed consistently high satisfaction with NBPU TIS Contact and Cultural Understanding (85–100%). Responses highlighted strong relationships, trust, and shared values as key enablers of effective practice translation. Aboriginal leadership through Ninti One was recognised as critical to ensuring cultural integrity, responsiveness, and program relevance. Shared Values, Collaborative Working and Sharing Best Practice showed steady growth, reflecting strengthened alignment between NBPU TIS and funded organisations. While access to Training and Development and support for Monitoring and Evaluation showed more variability (40–80% agreement), these results informed targeted improvements and new capacity-building strategies. CQI activities directly shaped how evidence-based tools, frameworks, and training were implemented and scaled nationally, ensuring ongoing responsiveness to community and practitioner feedback.

Lessons: The NBPU TIS experience demonstrates that embedding Aboriginal governance within evidence translation strengthens both process and impact. Key lessons include:
1. Cultural leadership enables system change. Aboriginal governance through Ninti One ensures that evidence is applied in ways that respect culture, community priorities, and self-determination.
2. CQI is a bridge between research and practice. Embedding reflection and feedback loops ensures implementation remains dynamic and effective.
3. Partnerships enhance scalability. Combining Indigenous leadership with research and technical partners supports knowledge exchange and broader system adoption.
4. Evidence needs translation, not just generation. Implementation succeeds when research is adapted to real-world community contexts.
5. Sustainability depends on relationships. Trust and shared purpose between NBPU TIS and community outreach teams underpin long-term impact.
Integrating Aboriginal leadership with evidence-based practice creates a model for national, community-driven health promotion. Lessons from NBPU TIS provide guidance for other public health initiatives seeking to embed Aboriginal leadership alongside evidence-based practice for sustained impact. This model exemplifies how prevention can move beyond theory to sustained, equitable, and community-driven action.

Problem
Understanding population health needs is foundational to effective public health planning. As a newly established Local Public Health Unit (LPHU) in Victoria, the North Eastern Public Health Unit (NEPHU) was required to develop and deliver a population health catchment plan to support health promotion and prevention activities. However, no comprehensive or consolidated data source existed specific to our catchment, with available datasets fragmented across platforms. This presented both a challenge and an opportunity: to build a tailored data profile to inform planning and support local stakeholders.

What we did
A Population Profile of the NEPHU Catchment was compiled following systematic internal consultation and extensive data sourcing and collation. Raw datasets from over 30 sources including the ABS Census and Victorian Population Health Survey were reformatted for consistency and interpretability using R software down to LGA, postcode and SA2 level. Indicators across the domains of demographics, social determinants, health risk behaviours and health outcomes were included in a comprehensive report.

Results
The report enabled more granular insight than generally available in collated data. This revealed significant variation in local populations and /or geographies across the catchment, allowing for tailored intervention strategies. Data was cross referenced for further insights, such as identifying areas with high psychological distress but low engagement with mental health services.

Lessons
The NEPHU Population Profile enabled better understanding of the local population to improve public health planning and response. The report has been valuable for partners, strengthening relationships and enabling collaborative planning. An external evaluation confirmed the utility of the resource. To date, there have been more than 150 downloads of the report.

While the initial data compilation was time-intensive, establishing a baseline has streamlined future data updates. This initiative demonstrates the power of locally curated data to drive responsive, place-based public health action and foster cross-sector collaboration.

Problem
An evaluation of the NSW SunSmart program found there was a decline in the personal relevance and impact of sun safety messaging in NSW primary schools. While stakeholders recognise its importance, engagement with the SunSmart program varies, as sun safety is often seen as a well-established topic. The benefits of sun protection efforts are mainly viewed through a long-term health lens, with schools rarely considering the immediate, tangible benefits. The evaluation also showed that perceived membership influenced engagement more than actual membership, highlighting the need for a refined implementation model. There is a clear opportunity for CCNSW to reposition sun safety within NSW education systems to achieve deeper engagement and sustained improvement.

What We Did
CCNSW began a quality improvement project targeting early childhood and primary schools, with plans to include secondary schools. The Discovery Phase included a literature review, stakeholder consultations, an environmental scan, and a systems analysis of the NSW educational context. These insights informed the Conceptual Mapping Phase, resulting in a sun protection framework grounded in robust theoretical and systems-based approaches. Central to the methodology is a robust governance structure, with three collaborative, multidisciplinary steering groups. These groups comprise experts, end users, and youth informants to ensure alignment and strategic integration.

Results
A comprehensive NSW SunSmart Strategy was developed, shaped by extensive stakeholder input. The Strategy prioritises key initiatives and implementation methods to advance sun safety in educational settings. Next steps include redesigning program delivery, developing multi-component interventions, and launching pilot programs supported by digital delivery methods to enable scalability.

Lessons
Engaging multidisciplinary expertise, youth perspectives, and stakeholder feedback through responsive governance is vital for progressing sun protection in schools. This collaborative approach to program redesign will ensure UV protection is sustainably integrated into the broader education agenda, supported by tailored content and delivery mechanisms.