The UK has seen it’s fastest drop in smoking rates in over a decade, according to new data
Adult smoking prevalence dropped 2.2 percent between January and July this year.
That is equivalent to 200 fewer smokers every hour.
This is according to University College London (UCL) who compiled the data for their Smoking Toolkit Study.
Professor Jamie Brown, co-director of the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group at UCL, said:
“We’re really excited about this data showing such a huge drop in the number of smokers so far in 2019.
“We’re at an all-time low for the number of smokers, but we want to see more people quitting”
The figures were released by Public Health England at the launch of this year’s Stoptober campaign.
Since its launch in 2012, Stoptober has supported over 1.9 million smokers in giving up the habit.
This year’s theme encourages people to ‘split up’ with smoking.
Support will be available from GPs and pharmacies, as well as through apps and social media.
Professor Brown encourages smokers to take part in Stoptober, even if past attempts to quit have been unsuccessful.
He says:
“Stoptober is an excellent opportunity to quit because there are so many other smokers across the country who are doing it at the same time.
“There is nothing to lose, so why not give it a go?”
Source: Gov.uk
