JHAH Smoking Cessation Program Reports Record Quit Rate
May 18, 2026
Quit rate climbs to nearly 26% this year from 18.5% in 2024 after a record number of patients sign up to the program.
The Smoking Cessation Program at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH) has reported a significant rise in its quit rate after a record number of patients signed up last year.
For the first four months of this year, the quit rate for patients on the program was 25.9% — up from 23.4% in 2025 and 18.5% in 2024.
Globally, tobacco use kills more than 7 million people annually, including 1.6 million non-smokers who die from exposure to second-hand smoke, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). People who smoke die about 10 years earlier on average than people who have never smoked, the American Cancer Society says.
Cigarette smoke contains at least 70 chemicals that can cause cancer but it is also responsible for other health problems including heart and blood vessel disease, stroke and cataracts. Women who smoke have a higher risk of pregnancy problems or having a baby die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
JHAH’s Smoking Cessation Program provides one-on-one and group counselling sessions over the course of 12 meetings, which provide advice on the physiological, psychological and behavioral effects of smoking, and offer free-of-charge nicotine replacement aids and medications. The program also provides workplace smoking cessation and community outreach services.
More than 3,000 patients have signed up to JHAH’s Smoking Cessation Program since it launched in 2014. These sign-ups have generated an estimated 6,830 clinical visits including follow-up consultations.
Enrolment has grown markedly in recent years, with 346 patients signing up in 2024 and 546 in 2025 — a 58% increase year-on-year.
Abdullah Al Mohammadi, Director of Respiratory Care Services at JHAH, said: “We are proud of the excellent progress of our Smoking Cessation Program, but we want to help even more smokers quit before it’s too late.”
“We benchmark our success against the US Department of Health & Human Services quit rate target of 34%. Our trajectory reflects steady and continued progress toward this target — and we are committed to achieving or exceeding it.”
“For any smoker still wondering whether quitting is realistic, the program’s outcomes provide a clear answer. In 2025 alone, 101 enrolled patients successfully quit. Our program is designed to fit each patient’s working life and family commitments.”
“Our work sits squarely within the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Ministry of Health’s national tobacco control mission. We are proud to contribute to that national effort, and the message to every smoker in our community is straightforward: the clinic is here, the team is ready, and the quit journey begins the moment a decision is made to walk in.”
Vision 2030 emphasizes preventive healthcare, improved quality of life and the reduction of lifestyle-related diseases.
In Saudi Arabia, about 15% of adults smoked or used tobacco in 2025, according to WHO data. In 2023, the smoking-related death rate in Saudi Arabia was 6%, according to data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.