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Wake
up call on No Smoking Day
The Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) today
urged smokers to wake up to a fresh new start free from tobacco
smoke on No Smoking Day (NSD) on Wednesday 9 March.
A television advertising
campaign goes on air today giving smokers an opportunity
to prepare for the day by counting
down the days to NSD. Research shows that one of the most
important elements in successfully stopping smoking is planning
ahead. The television advertising campaign also encourages
smokers to seek support from the Smokers’ Helpline
on Tel - 0800 85 85 85.
Dr. Brian Gaffney,
Chief Executive of the HPA said: “The
health effects of smoking are well documented yet more than
a quarter of adults in Northern Ireland continue to smoke.
Giving up is not easy due to the highly addictive nature
of nicotine and it may take many smokers several attempts
to give up completely.
“It is vital that smokers have access to advice and
support in order to quit and improve their own health as
well as the health of those around them. The Smokers’ Helpline
is a valuable link for those wanting to quit in Northern
Ireland and has dealt with thousands of calls since it was
established two years ago.”
NSD is
a major UK health event which has been running for the
past 22
years. This year’s theme, Wake up to No
Smoking Day is about waking up to what smoking is doing to
you including the health effects, the cost, the mess and
all the other things that make smokers want to stop. The
Tobacco Action Plan reported that two thirds of smokers say
they want to quit and of these one third will try to stop
in any one year.
A HPA
survey carried out after last year’s NSD found
that 38% of smokers in Northern Ireland who were aware of
NSD participated in the day by quitting for a time, cutting
down, accessing information or taking part in an event or
competition. This participation rate was considerably higher
than 2003 (29%).
The television advertisement will run from today Monday
28 February to No Smoking Day on Wednesday 9 March.
END
Notes
to the editor
- Smoking claims around 3,000 lives
each year in Northern Ireland and is the single greatest
preventable cause of premature
death and avoidable illness. Smoking is a major risk factor
for coronary heart disease, strokes and other diseases
of the circulatory system, which kill two in every five
men
and women here1.
- For
help and advice on stopping smoking call the Smokers’ Helpline
on Tel - 0800 85 85 85.
- For more information on NSD visit
www.nosmokingday.org.uk
For
further information contact
Rosie McGaughey on 028 9031 1611 or 9031 1514.
1.
Tobacco Action Plan, 2003.
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