Department of Health Minister Ann Keen said:
"I am really pleased that there has been such an increase in successful quitters compared with the previous year's statistics, and I'd like to take this opportunity to say congratulations to all those who have made such positive efforts to kick the habit - very well done. This shows that the investments that we are making in helping smokers to quit are having a positive impact and more and more smokers are clearly accessing the highly effective support provided by the NHS."
Along with NHS support, family can be an important factor in helping people go smokefree. In a recent ONS survey1, 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"
There is also 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.
Jo Locker, Regional Tobacco Policy Manager for the South East, commented:
"It is encouraging that so many people in the South East have gone smokefree in the past year. Quitting is not easy, but the support of family and friends can make a real difference to help people to quit smoking for good. 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."
