Smokers give up as ban provides the spur

Feb 2 2008 by Audrey Barton, The Journal

THE impact of the smoking ban is helping smokers in the North-East quit the habit with some of the best performing NHS stop smoking services in the country.

NHS Stop Smoking Services show that the number of quitters in the region is higher than the national average.

A number of Department of Health campaigns and the work undertaken by, amongst others, Fresh – Smoke Free North East have contributed to raise awareness of the many forms of support for the 70% of smokers who would like to quit.

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.

The smoking ban in the workplace and enclosed public places came into force on July 1, last year.

Between April and September 2007, over 12,576 smokers in the North-East successfully quit smoking with the help of the local NHS Stop Smoking Services.

That is 603 successful quitters per 100,000 of the adult population, much higher than the national average of just 401 quitters per 100,000 adults.

The highest numbers of quitters were in County Durham Primary Care Trust with 2,793 followed by Newcastle PCT with 1,259, North Tyneside 1,181 and Northumberland Care Trust with 1,314.

The local NHS Stop Smoking Services in the North-East are some of the best performing in the country and evidence shows that smokers are four times more likely to quit successfully with the help of these services than going alone.

For more information about Fresh – Smoke Free North East, visit www.freshne.com.

For advice on how to how to go smoke-free and quit smoking for good, call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0169 or visit www.gosmokefree.nhs.uk