North-East-stop-smoking-services-help-highest-proportion-of-smokers-to-quit-nationwide

 

The statistics for 2013/14 by the Health & Social Care Information Centre show that 43,451 North East smokers set a quit date with their local Stop Smoking Service (9.5% of smokers), and of these 20,026 successfully quit through Stop Smoking Services (a success rate of 46%).

 

For every 100,000 people living in the region, that means that 932 people quit successfully with SSS support. The England average was 688 quitters per 100,000.

 

Despite this success, the numbers accessing Stop Smoking Services nationally fell by around one-fifth compared to the previous year, and numbers in the North East were similarly down on 2012/13 levels. However, it’s important to note that these numbers only relate to people accessing support from local Stop Smoking Services (including pharmacies and GPs) – surveys nationally show the number of people making quit attempts generally has actually gone up, while smoking prevalence and the number of children starting are at an all-time low.

 

Smoking remains the single biggest preventable cause of death in England, accounting for approximately 5,500 deaths each year in the North East alone. We know that smokers accessing Stop Smoking Services for support are up to four times more likely to quit than those who go cold turkey, and so they provide a vital service in helping smokers to break free from a deadly addiction which, for the vast majority, begins in their teenage years. 

 

•  586,337 quit dates set nationally last year (down 19% on 2012/13)
• 300,539 4-week quitters nationally last year (down 20% on 2012/13)
• NE saw the highest proportion of its population setting a quit date (2,023 per 100,000 people)
• NE saw highest numbers quitting per 100,000 people (932) of any region
• NE quit rate of 46%. National average at 51%. North West lowest at 43%

 Full report and data – http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB14610