Big Increase In Quitters Following Introduction Of Smokefree England
01/30/08
Statistics show unprecedented demand for Stop Smoking Services
Statistics show unprecedented demand for Stop Smoking Services
Around 165,000 smokers quit between April and September 2007 - an
increase of 28 per cent compared to the same period the previous
year, according to new statistics out yesterday.
The statistics, recorded by the NHS Stop Smoking Service, are the
first to show the impact of the Smokefree legislation which came into
force on 1 July 2007. They record the number of smokers who had
successfully quit at the four-week follow up interview.
Additional figures show that the new Department of Health 'Getting
Off Cigarettes' campaign, launched on 26 Dec 2007, has also resulted
in a large increase in calls to the Stop Smoking Hotline.
Between the launch and the 13th January:
- almost 73,000 smokers had visited the campaign website;
- around 9,000 smokers had called the NHS Smoking Helpline for more
information;
- just under 13,000 people had requested for an information pack via
text message or interactive TV.; and
- more than 25,000 smokers had been sent the free 'Get Support' DVD,
giving more information about the NHS support available.
Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said:
"It's great news that so many smokers have been able to quit,
preventing serious health problems and complications. It's not easy
to overcome a nicotine addiction so it's clear that the NHS Stop
Smoking Service is providing a vital service. And these figures are
confirmation that the £56 million we invested into the service last
year was money well spent.
"This follows the news last week that a smaller proportion of adults
now smoke - 22 per cent down from 24 per cent. We are well on track
to meet our target to reduce the proportion of smokers in England to
21 per cent by 2010".
The 'Getting Off Cigarettes' campaign was designed to promote the
wide range of support available to those who want to quit. These
statistics follow a number of measures taken by the Government to
reduce smoking.
In 2007, the age of sale of tobacco was increased from 16 to 18 years
and hard hitting picture warnings will appear on all tobacco products
produced for the UK market from 1 October 2008.
Later this year, the Department of Health will consult on the next
steps in tobacco control and the further regulation of tobacco
products, including around the display of tobacco at the point of
sale, access to tobacco from vending machines and packaging.
Notes
1. The statistics are official statistics and are published by the
Information Centre on behalf of the Department of Health.
2. The current NHS campaign promotes the range of free support
available to give quitters the best chance of success. The 'Getting
Off Cigarettes' adverts, which will run for a total of three months,
feature a cityscape dotted with giant cigarettes to bring to life the
challenge of quitting smoking and remind smokers that many others are
going through similar experiences. Different rescue operations
arrive on the scene to help smokers to 'get off' the cigarettes,
illustrating the range of free stop smoking support provided by the
NHS.
3. To access NHS Stop Smoking Services call the the NHS Smoking
Helpline - 0800 169 0 169 for details of the free NHS support
available to boost your chances. Alternatively, you can order a free
DVD from 0800 917 6699 to find out about the full range of NHS
support available to help you quit.
4. 164,711 successful 4 week quits were generated by the NHS Stop
Smoking Services between April and September 2007.
5. The statistics, recorded by the NHS Stop Smoking Service, record
the number of stop smoking treatment episodes that resulted in
smokers being successfully quit at the four-week follow up interview.