Thousands kick the habit

9:12am Friday 29th August 2008

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More than 4,000 people in Oxfordshire quit smoking with the help of the NHS last year, figures have revealed.

According to the Department of Health, 6,799 people across the county set a date to quit smoking in the 12 months to March this year. Of these, 4,063 (60%) managed to kick the deadly habit for at least a month.

Across England, the success rate of the 680,289 people who set a date to quit with their local NHS stop smoking services was just 52% - suggesting Oxfordshire's smokers were more determined to quit than those from other parts of the country.

Smokers were backed by trained specialists and advisers who met them at regular intervals over a period of weeks to give advice, support and encouragement.

They also discussed appropriate treatments to cope with withdrawal symptoms and recommended medications - including nicotine patches and gum.

Health Minister Ann Keen said: "I am really pleased that there has been such an increase in successful quitters and Id like to take this opportunity to say congratulations to all those who have made such positive efforts to kick the habit - very well done."

In a recent survey published by the Office for National Statistics, three quarters (74%) of smokers said they wanted to stop smoking.

Of these, one in five (20%) cited family pressure as a motivation to quit and one in six (15%) wanted to stop because of concerns about harming children.

Over half (55%) of smokers reported that they had been encouraged by someone they knew to go smoke-free in the past year.

The Government has said it wants to reduce the proportion of smokers to 22% nationally by 2010, down from 33% in 1998.

For advice on quitting smoking call the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0169.