Number of smokers at all-time low
Jan 30 2008 by Audrey Barton, The Journal
THE number of smokers in the North-East has fallen to record levels, new figures have revealed.
Government data has shown that smoking rates among adults in England continue to decline, with the North-East hitting 25% in 2006 – down 4% on the previous year.
Campaigners believe the fall in the number of smokers in the region demonstrates the importance of having strong tobacco policies in place.
Nationally the government has recorded a 28% increase in the number of people quitting smoking in England between April and September last year.
The quit statistics, recorded by the NHS Stop Smoking Service, are the first to show the impact of the smoking ban which came into force on July 1 last year.
And the effect of powerful campaigns both from Department of Health and Fresh – Smoke Free North-East is thought to have contributed to the fall to 25% smoking prevalence in the North-East.
Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh – Smoke Free North-East, said: “The new figures are very encouraging, and the 4% decline shows that our comprehensive and committed strategy has made a valuable contribution to changing the attitudes of the people in the North-East towards smoking.
“However we cannot become complacent. We aim to build upon our recent successes in order to tackle smoking further, and we want to help the remaining 25% of smokers realise the huge benefits of becoming smokefree.”
California has an impressive rate of 13% and the North-East is aiming to achieve this.
Smoking is the main cause of health inequalities in the North-East and still causes almost 6,000 preventable deaths each year in the region, with many thousands living with smoking related conditions such as emphysema.
Fresh will continue to work alongside the Department of Health, NHS Stop Smoking Services and the many other partners to ensure the decline in the number of smokers continues.
Ms Rutter said: “The North-East’s NHS Stop Smoking Services are some of the best in the country and smokers are four times more likely to quit with their help. Their advisers are always there to support quitters, offering expert advice and a range of aids to make that quitting experience that little bit easier.
“As smoking continues to be the number one cause of premature death and disease in the region, we aim to maintain our efforts in order to drive smoking rates down further, and hopefully we will be celebrating a larger decline when next year’s figures are released.”
For more information about Fresh – Smoke Free North-East, visit www.freshne.com or for advice on how to how to go smokefree and quit smoking for good, call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169-0169 or visit www.gosmokefree.nhs.uk
