Support for smokers to quit in 2008
Three-quarters (75%) of smokers in Northern Ireland want to quit smoking and the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) is encouraging them to make 2008 the year they finally give up.�
The HPA is running a television advertising campaign from 28 December 2007 to 6 January 2008 to promote the Smokers� Helpline � Tel: 0800 85 85 85 � a free service offering support, information and advice, as well as directing smokers to their local smoking cessation support services.
Nicky McKee, Senior Manager for Public Health at the HPA, said: �We all know that it can be difficult to quit and the majority of smokers have tried to quit at some point. Through this campaign we very much want to encourage those who see the New Year as their chance to make a fresh start by stopping smoking. There is a lot of support available for smokers who want to give up. Hopefully through the Smokers� Helpline they will find something that suits them.�
The Smokers� Helpline is staffed by trained counsellors who will be able to direct callers to the services that match their individual needs.
Research shows that smokers are up to four times more likely to quit for good if they use specialist smoking cessation services and nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) such as gum, patches and lozenges.�
�Our advice is not to be disheartened even if you have tried to give up before,� continued Nicky. �Most smokers make several quit attempts before they finally succeed. But the advantages to stopping smoking greatly outweigh any perceived disadvantages, so make 2008 the year you quit and make an enormous impact on your life.�
END
Notes to the Editor
The campaign website, Healthcare and other professionals who come into contact with smokers through the course of their work can avail of a free online course to help smokers quit. Those interested in the course, Brief interventions in smoking cessation can register free at: www.hpa-pod.org
For media enquiries contact:
For media enquiries please contact the HPA Press Office on Tel: 028 9031 1611.
�Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Continuous household survey 2006/07. Belfast: NISRA, November 2007.
�West R, McNeill A, Raw M. Smoking cessation guidelines for health professionals: An update. Thorax 2000; 55(12): 989-99.
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