Delegates at the conference will today hear details of the setting up of the Irish Cancer Society's national "quitline" in the Republic.
Last year's campaign led to 600 calls to the hotline over an eight week period, with women phoning for advice twice as often as men.
This year the campaign was backed by TV and billboard advertising and there was a large increase in the volume of calls: 1,500 people called in 10 days. Subsequent research found that 50 per cent of the target group of teenagers had seen the advertising.
Ms Norma Cronin of the Cancer Society, who will present a paper at the conference on the helpline, told The Irish Times that while evaluation of the programme was ongoing, she was hopeful more resources would be found to extend it in 2001.
Dr Bernard McCartan, an oral medicine consultant in Dublin's dental hospital, chaired an interesting discussion yesterday titled: "Physician Heal Thyself: When the Messenger needs the Message too."
Researchers from Rennes found that 32 per cent of physicians in France smoke. Interestingly, they found doctors who smoke prescribed more nicotine replacement therapy to help their patients quit than non-smokers.