Shropshire communities encouraged to help people quit smoking in run up to No Smoking Day
To mark the 40th anniversary of No Smoking Day on Wednesday 13 March 2024, communities across Shropshire are being encouraged to help those on their quitting journey.
No Smoking Day 2024 graphic
The annual awareness day encourages smokers to make a quit attempt and offers a wide range of advice and support to those wishing to break the habit and quit.
There are over 5.3 million adults in England who still smoke, and smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death in England – estimated to account for 64,000 deaths annually. Up to two in three smokers will die as a result of long-term smoking.
Latest figures* in Shropshire show that around 10% of the population (18+) in the county smoke, slightly less than the England average (12.7%), with 17.6% of working age adults (18 to 64) compared to 22.5% England average. However, smoking in pregnancy in Shropshire revealed a higher percentage than the England average with 11.4% in Shropshire compared 8.8% for England.
During 2019/2020, 3,443 people in Shropshire were admitted to hospital due to smoking related conditions.
Quitting smoking can have a huge impact on an individual’s health and has been shown to reduce the risk of developing dementia, heart disease, cancer and stroke. Someone quitting smoking can experience health benefits within weeks of stopping, breathing easier and feeling fitter.
Not only does stopping smoking bring health benefits, but it can also save you a lot of money too. On average smokers spend £38.59 a week on tobacco. That means they could have around £2,000 more to spend a year by quitting.
Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said.
“We know that quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health. It is never too late and when you do stop smoking, there are almost immediate improvements to your health.
“We know it’s not easy to quit too, and that is why it’s much easier to stop smoking when family and friends are behind you. There is a wide range of support for those wishing to quit, so you’re not on your own and getting expert support from your local stop smoking services means you’re three times as likely to quit for good.
“Whilst smoking rates have reduced considerably since the first year of No Smoking Day 40 years ago, there is still some way to go to achieve our ambition of becoming a smoke-free county.
“The 40th anniversary of No Smoking Day on 13 March, is a great opportunity for you to take that vital step forward on your no smoking journey.
“It’s also a time for us to unite and offer encouragement and support to those on their quitting journey. If you or someone you know is considering quitting smoking, why not start your journey on No Smoking Day and please do take up the support that is available. Not only will this have a positive impact on your health but also your pocket too.”
NHS’s Better Health offers a range of free quitting support, including the NHS Quit Smoking app, local stop smoking service look-up tool, as well as advice on stop smoking aids including information on how vaping can help you quit smoking.
Nicotine vapes can help adult tobacco smokers to quit smoking when used alongside structured stop smoking support. Almost two-thirds of adults who use a vape along with support from their local Stop Smoking Service successfully quit smoking. For more information about vaping to help adults quit smoking please visit Vaping to help adults quit smoking | Shropshire Council.
Shropshire’s Social Prescribing programme is a non-medical programme designed to help people with a wide range of social, emotional or practical needs.
The programme which is delivered by Healthy Lives Advisors (Social Prescribing advisors) across GP practices across the county, can help support people to quit smoking as well as signpost them to other services to support their health and wellbeing.
People can access the service through referral from their GP, secondary school and certain practitioners in health and social care, the voluntary sector and other partners. You can also self-refer to Social Prescribing by calling our Health Lives Advisors (Social Prescribing advisors) on 0345 678 9028 Monday to Friday (9am to 5pm) and selecting the self-referral to Social Prescribing option. Or you can e-mail healthylives@shropshire.gov.uk with the subject ‘Social Prescribing self-referral.
Find out more about how to quit smoking at NHS Better Health visit Quit smoking – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
For more information about stop smoking in Shropshire visit Support to stop smoking | Shropshire Council
Further information
Did you know?
- Research shows that most people who smoke, start smoking in adolescence and early uptake of smoking is linked to being more likely to smoke in later years. 83% of smokers start before the age of 20.
- Teenagers are nearly three times as likely to smoke if their caregivers or friends do (13.6% vs 5.0% when care givers smoke and 12.6% vs 4.3% if friends do).
- Almost every minute of every day someone is admitted to hospital in England with a smoking-related disease and in 2022-23, there were an estimated 400,000 hospital admissions in England due to smoking and one in four hospital patients is a smoker. Despite the clear health risks of smoking, it’s estimated that nearly 50 million cigarettes are smoked every day in England – around nine cigarettes a day per smoker.
- On average smokers spend £38.59 a week on tobacco. That means they could have around £2,000 more to spend a year by quitting.
*Latest data taken from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) Fingertips data at: Local Tobacco Control Profiles – Data – OHID (phe.org.uk) indicates;
- 0% (in 2022) Smoking prevalence in Shropshire Adults aged 18+ who are recorded as current smokers – this is not significantly different to the England average of 12.7%
- There is a higher rate of smoking prevalence of 17.6% (in 2022) in working age adults (18 to 64) in routine and manual occupations. This is not significantly different to the England average of 22.5% in 2022.
- 4% (2022/23) smoking status at time of delivery which is significantly higher than the England average of 8.8%
- 3,443 people in 2019/20 were admitted to hospital due to smoking related conditions.
