· 59,275 smokers in the North West successfully quit with the region’s Stop Smoking Services in 2007/08, that’s almost 14% more last year (52,105).
· 4,300 successful quitters per 100,000 smokers in the region. That’s 1,066 successful quitters per 100,000 of the region’s adult population.
· North West has some of the top performing Stop Smoking Services in England
· Most of the North West’s local Stop Smoking Services have higher than national average rates of quitting.
· Research highlights importance of family in motivating smokers to quit
Figures published today by the NHS show that over 59,000 smokers in the North West quit with the help of the local Stop Smoking Services last year. That is equivalent to 162 smokers quitting each day, and is an increase of nearly 14% on 2006/07 figures.
In addition, the region has some of the most successful NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, with most performing above the national average rates of quitting.
Andrea Crossfield, Director of Smokefree North West; “Its fantastic that in the North West we have some of the best Stop Smoking Services in the country. The figures out today show that last year over 59,000 smokers in the region have quit with the free help and advice that they offer, which is many thousands more than last year. It is really encouraging that so many people in the North West have made a real achievement and gone Smokefree.
“We know from our own research that 81% of people in the region would like there to be more support for smokers to quit3. Quitting isn’t easy, but the support of family and friends can make a real difference to help people to quit smoking for good.”
Along with NHS support, family can be an important factor in helping people go smokefree. In a recent ONS survey2, three quarters (74%) of smokers said they want to stop smoking. Of these, one in five (20%) cited family pressure as a motivation to quit and one in six (15%) wanted to quit because of concerns about harming children.
Over half (55%) of smokers reported that they had been encouraged by someone they know to go smokefree in the past year. Female smokers were most likely to have been asked by either their children or their partner (both 22%), whilst men were most likely to have been asked by their partner (21%) followed by their parents (16%).
The NHS Smokefree campaign has responded by launching ‘IOU’ voucher books for people who want to offer a helping hand to a loved one who’s trying to become smokefree. The book contains suggested ‘IOUs’ such as “I’ll treat you to dinner if you talk to a stop smoking adviser one-to-one” and “I’ll tidy my bedroom if you stay smokefree on a family day out” along with space for friends and family to write their own personal messages of support. Details are also provided of free NHS support services to help smokers increase their chances of successfully becoming smokefree.
If you’d like to order some ‘IOU’ vouchers to help your loved one quit or to find out more about the range of free stop smoking support available from the NHS, simply call 0800 169 0 169.
