6000 Rochdalians to try and quit smoking

Date published: 08 January 2008

According to a study by leading tobacco control expert Professor Robert West, more than 172,000 smokers in the North West - Rochdale alone expects over 6,000 - could try to quit smoking this New Year.  That’s the equivalent of every adult in Rochdale all trying to quit smoking this January or enough quitters to fill the supporter stands of Old Trafford, Anfield and the City of Manchester Stadium.

Professor West’s Smoking Toolkit study, which has monitored smoking cessation trends since October 2006, identified January as the most popular month for quitting, when around one in eight smokers tried to kick the habit in 2007.  In anticipation of similar quitting numbers this New Year, a new NHS campaign has been launched to promote the range of free support available to give quitters the best chance of success.

Minister of State for Public Health, Dawn Primarolo, said: "Between January and March 2007, around 130,000 smokers successfully quit with the support of their local NHS Stop Smoking Service, and many more got help from the NHS Smoking Helpline, our interactive Together programme and nicotine replacement products available on prescription.

"Research has shown that smokers who quit with NHS support are up to four times more likely to succeed.  Quitting is not easy and it can take some smokers several times to get off cigarettes for good.  That’s why this campaign will remain on screens until March, to offer a constant reminder of the full range of free NHS support to help New Year’s quitters make 2008 the year their resolutions stick."

In the North West, 38,466 smokers set a quit date with their local NHS Stop Smoking Service between January and March 2007, with 19,887 successfully quitting at four weeks – a success rate of 52 per cent.

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.

Professor West said: "Research has consistently confirmed that seven out of ten smokers want to quit but the Smoking Toolkit Study aimed to find out how often they actually try to quit, what they use to help them and how often they succeed.  We have found that almost half of all smokers actually try to at least once over the course of the year and one in eight try to quit in January.  But I was particularly interested to find that, contrary to popular scepticism of New Year’s Resolutions, smokers who quit in January also tended to be more successful at staying off cigarettes.

"It’s hard to know the exact reasons for this trend but what is absolutely clear is that the best way to ensure success is by getting professional support.  I’d urge anyone planning to quit this New Year to call 0800 917 6699 to order a copy of the free "Get Support’ DVD which describes the full range of support available from the NHS to help them get off cigarettes in 2008."

Local NHS Stop Smoking Services and the interactive "Together’ programme offer structured programmes of support to help smokers make the break with smoking.  To deal with the physical side of their addiction, smokers can also get a course of nicotine replacement therapy, or other stop smoking medicines on prescription from the NHS.  The NHS Smokefree campaign has produced a free DVD called "Get Support’ which explains the various kinds of support available and features real-life quitters talking about their experiences of using the services.

Call 0800 917 6699 to order a free "Get Support’ DVD and find out about the range of NHS support to help smokers quit.

Please contact TASK Stop Smoking Service Tel: 01706 708000 for:

• High resolution stills of the NHS "Getting Off Cigarettes’ advertising campaign.
• Information about free NHS services to help smokers quit, including Top Ten Tips for quitting.
• Interviews with an NHS stop smoking advisor.
• Case studies of real-life quitters.

Please contact Redzi Mangwana at Fishburn Hedges on 0207 839 4321 or email: redzi.mangwana@fishburn-hedges.co.uk for:

• Beta SP videos of the NHS "Getting Off Cigarettes’ advertising campaign.