Government targets New Year quiters
pharmafile | January 7, 2010 | News story | | smoking cessation
The government has launched its latest weapon in the battle to wrest people away from their nicotine addiction.
The NHS Stop Smoking Quit Kit hopes to tap in to New Year resolutions, with new research showing that 44% of smokers in England are attempting to quit from January.
Put together by smoking experts and smokers themselves, much of the new kit aims to combat stress and cravings, as well as giving tips on how to avoid the triggers that lead to sparking up a fag in the first place.
“We know that certain triggers and cravings can threaten a successful quit,” said Professor Robert West from the Health Behaviour Research Centre at University College London.
“People need to find their own personal combination of support and tools to help combat them.”
The kit contains two mp3 downloads that the government believes are scientifically proven to reduce cravings, as well as a stress-relieving toy which smokers can handle and even a toothbrush.
There is also an appeal to household budgets, with a health/wealth wheel to help smokers work out how much money they are saving by quitting, and a 28-day wall planner to help them focus.
If this is not enough, there will also be a tug at the heartstrings with a new advertising campaign concentrating on the effect smoking has on loved ones.
The children of smokers, rather than actors, are seen singing the famous tune “I’d Do Anything” from the musical Oliver – the message being that they would go to any lengths to help parents to stop smoking.
The Department of Health claims that 96% of children whose parents smoke want them to quit.
The kits also contain details of where people can access nicotine replacement therapy such as gum or patches and tailored support.
In 2008-09, 337,054 people successfully quit smoking using help from the NHS, and public health minister Gillian Merron said that around seven out of ten smokers want to give up at any one time.
“NHS stop smoking services are rated as the best in the world, and smokers who quit by using free NHS support are up to four times more likely to be successful,” she added.
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