Birmingham’s Stoptober success
Cllr Steve Bedser
Almost 5,000 people in Birmingham quit smoking last month as part of the mass 28-day stop smoking challenge, Stoptober.
Figures released by Public Health England showed a total of 4,748 smokers across the city signed-up for the annual initiative.
Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Cllr Steve Bedser, today hailed the figures as 'a significant public health victory for Birmingham'.
And he urged smokers inspired by the Stoptober success to contact Birmingham's Stop Smoking Service for advice and support.
He said: “These figures are very encouraging and hopefully a large proportion of the Birmingham smokers who signed up for Stoptober managed to complete the Stoptober challenge. Research consistently shows that anyone who completes 28 days without a cigarette is five times more likely to stay smoke-free.
“While Stoptober is a great initiative, there’s never a bad time to quit smoking and Birmingham’s Stop Smoking Service is on hand to help throughout the year.
“I know from personal experience that quitting is easier said than done. But I also know how rewarding it can be - both in terms of your health and of course financially. A 20-a-day smoker who completed Stoptober will have saved over £200 already.”
Jamila Hussain, Birmingham Stop Smoking Service operational manager, added: “The important thing now is that the people who quit during Stoptober stick with it and continue to take advantage of the advice and support we provide.
“2012 saw a very significant rise in the number of people who not only took the first step but were still tobacco-free a month later. We want to see a repeat of that this year.
“Around one in five adults in Birmingham smokes tobacco and we know many of them would like to give up. Our friendly, confidential service is designed to offer the choice of advice, support and treatment to suit everyone.”
For more information about Stop Smoking services in Birmingham, go to: http://www.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/about-us/services-directory/adults-and-communities/citywide-services/stop-smoking/
- In Birmingham around 1 in 5 adults smoke, equating to around
- 185,000 smokers. Every year over 4,500 people die in Birmingham from a smoking related disease.
Smoking is directly linked with Birmingham's three biggest killers, and is directly attributable to:
- 1 in 4 of all cancers,
- 1 in 5 deaths from cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke),
- 1 in 3 of all deaths from respiratory disease
But help is available and smokers who quit with the help of Birmingham Community Healthcare’s Stop Smoking Service are four times more likely to stop than with will power alone.
