When they enrolled in the study, participants agreed to be contacted six weeks, six months, and twelve months later, which allowed us to evaluate the effectiveness of the materials. Also of interest, however, is the long-term cycle of tobacco cessation, relapse, and return to abstinence, because for many people, quitting tobacco use is not a one-time event.

With our sample of more than 1,500 people who wanted to quit snuff or chew, and who had made at least one quit attempt, we are in a unique position of being able to observe this process in a large group of people. We have thus asked our participants for permission to contact them every six months for several more years. Most have consented, and we are in the process of applying for funding for this work.