Smokers urged to sign up to Stoptober

Kick the habit this ‘Stoptober’

With data showing that over 20 percentage of North West residents are smokers, Public Health England is urging local residents and smokers from the area to sign up to Stoptober - the country’s 28 day mass quit attempt– to receive support and encouragement every step of the way from some of the nation’s top comedians.

And to stand an even better chance of quitting, North West residents are encouraged to sign up with their friends, family and colleagues, as evidence reveals that this type of ‘social quitting’ can dramatically improve people’s chances of successfully stopping.

Dr Rebecca Wagstaff, Deputy Director for Health and Wellbeing at PHE North West said: “Figures reveal that over 20 percent of our population smokes and we know that many of them want to give up. Quitting is one of the most significant health improvements a person can make and Stoptober provides the perfect opportunity for family, friends and colleagues to work together towards quitting smoking for good.

“The range of free personalised support available is great and I would encourage anyone thinking of quitting to sign up to the Stoptober 28 day challenge today.”
Andrea Crossfield, Chief Executive of Tobacco Free Futures said: “I encourage every smoker in the North West to quit this Stoptober and join together with loved ones and friends to motivate each other throughout their 28-day challenge.

“After a successful Stoptober 2014, which saw 32,000 people in the North West sign up to quit, it would be great to see even more people pledging to quit and joining together to make a positive change. If you quit smoking for 28 days then you are five times more likely to quit for good, improving your health and putting more money into your pocket.

“There has never been a better time to quit, with more free support than ever this year. This includes a stop smoking pack, a 28-day mobile phone app, text support with daily updates, quitting advice and tips for coping, as well as the encouragement and support from thousands of people quitting together through Stoptober social media channels.”
Research shows that smokers are two thirds (67%) more likely to quit when their spouse stops smoking, and a third more likely to quit when a close friend (36%) or someone they work with (34%) stops1. The data also shows that individuals are much more likely (61%) to smoke if their partner or a close friend smokes – showing the powerful influence that people’s social networks have on their own smoking behaviour.

This is backed up by a study of smokers in Australia, Canada, the UK and the United States2 which shows that the fewer smoking friends someone has, the more likely they are to succeed in a quit attempt.

This year, Stoptober will be providing quitters with a personal touch from some of the nation’s leading comedians – Bill Bailey, Rhod Gilbert, Al Murray and Shappi Khorsandi. Messages of support and encouragement will be sent straight to quitters’ phones and emails throughout October.

What’s more, on Friday 18 September the national Stoptober roadshow will be at St George’s Centre in Preston and on Saturday 19 September in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester. The event, which will feature hilarious performances from dynamic entertainment troupe Faces of Disco, who shot to stardom in 2009 after reaching the semifinals of Britain’s Got Talent, will be a great opportunity for quitters to meet with the Stoptober street team, to discuss the benefits of quitting and to sign up to Stoptober.

Over 32,000 people across the North West signed up to Stoptober last year whilst latest figures show that the number of people in the North West smoking has fallen from 21.6% to 20.1% since 2012. By stopping smoking for 28 days you are five times more likely to stop for good.

By signing up to Stoptober, participants can choose from a range of free support tools including daily emails and text messages from the comedians throughout the 28 day quit attempt as well as a mobile phone app which includes lots more tips and advice - all of which have shown to increase the chances of staying smokefree.

To sign up to the nation’s biggest mass quit attempt visit:

www.smokefree.nhs.uk/stoptober