Campaign highlights best chance of quitting for Leeds smokers

SMOKERS IN Leeds are being targeted by a new campaign to highlight the effectiveness of local Stop Smoking Services.

Cancer Research UK has launched an advertising campaign, aimed at increasing awareness and encouraging people to get help from their local Stop Smoking Service, which give smokers the best chance of giving up for good.

Starting on 13 March and running across a total of 12 towns and cities across Yorkshire and The Humber, the three week awareness drive will see posters across the city.

Councillor Rebecca Charlwood, chair of Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board, said:

“I hope this campaign will encourage anyone looking for an extra reason to quit to take up the support that is available to help them do so. We know that going smokefree is easier if you get support, so I hope people will take up the chance to take a breather from smoking with the help they can access for free.”

The campaign highlights familiar frustrations smokers may experience, such as getting out of breath easily while playing football with their kids or when climbing the stairs. These examples are followed by information about the effectiveness of local Stop Smoking Services and how to access them.

The posters feature a simple message which fades out from black to grey to help illustrate the idea of running out of breath, and some digital versions of the posters actually invite people to experience the feeling of being out of breath while reading it.

The campaign will be backed by radio ads and social media activity.

Specialist support and prescription medication from Stop Smoking services give smokers the best chance of quitting for good. They offer free one to one or group support from a specialist team of advisers, along with stop smoking medicines which are available for the price of a prescription. Sessions usually start a couple of weeks before a person quits and the service can be tailored to an individual’s needs.

Paul Lambert, from Leeds City Council Public Health team, explained:  

“Many smokers know they should stop and want to, some may have tried to quit previously via willpower alone and failed. For a variety of reasons, we know a lot of smokers feel it is just too difficult for them to give up for good.

“But with help from a Stop Smoking adviser, offering support and advice, you will have the best chance of quitting for good. In fact you’re around three times more likely to stop smoking* if you use a local Stop Smoking Service rather than going it alone. And the proof is there are now hundreds of ex-smokers in Leeds who’ve been helped to quit for good.”

Scott Crosby, Regional Tobacco Control Policy Manager, Yorkshire and the Humber, said:

“We’re pleased to support Cancer Research UK in delivering this campaign. Smoking rates in Yorkshire and The Humber are higher than the national average therefore it’s important that those who want to stop, are aware of the best way of achieving that goal”

In Yorkshire and The Humber, around one in five people (18.6%) smoke, which is higher than the UK National average of one in six (16.9%)**. And the rate of deaths caused by smoking in the region is 313.1 per 100,000, higher than the UK national average (274.8 per 100,000)***.

George Butterworth, Cancer Research UK’s Tobacco Control Manager, said:

“We can’t forget that tobacco is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer. It is linked to at least 14 different types of the disease including most lung cancers – the leading cause of cancer deaths in Yorkshire and the Humber****.

“At Cancer Research UK we have a vision for the future – a tobacco free UK where, by 2035, fewer than one in 20 people smoke. If we are to realise this ambition, then it is vital to help smokers beat their addiction for good. That’s why we’re running this campaign, and why we’re also working hard to protect local Stop Smoking services from further Government budget cuts. We believe that every smoker should have access to the most effective method of giving up smoking, which is available through specialist Stop Smoking Services”

To find a stop smoking advisor who’ll give you the best chance of quitting for good visit nhs.uk/smokefreelocal or visit www.oneyouleeds.org.uk

ENDS

Notes to editors:

* West, R et al (2014). ‘Real-world’ effectiveness of smoking cessation treatments: a population study. Addiction. 2014 Mar; 109(3):491-9. doi: 10.1111/add.12429. Epub 2013 Dec 20 and Kotz D, et al (2014). Prospective cohort study of the effectiveness of smoking cessation treatments used in the “Real World”. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.07.004  

** Proportion of adults over 18 who smoke cigarettes in 2015

*** Annual average age-standardised rate of smoking attributable deaths per 100,000 population aged 35 years and over during the period 2012-2014.

Data is from PHE local tobacco control profiles http://www.tobaccoprofiles.info/profile/tobacco-control/

**** Based on the annual average number of deaths from lung cancer (ICD10 C33-C34) between 2012-2014. This data was extracted from the Public Health England’s Cancer Analysis System, snapshot CAS1507. Accessed 10/11/2016.

About Cancer Research UK

• Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
• Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
• Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated.
• Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last forty years.
• Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years.
• Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
• Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

About NHS Smokefree

• Smokefree is a public health campaign initiated and supported by Public Health England, an executive agency of the Department of Health. Read more at https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree#rKTVHfAVUdwlPpCL.99