Quit smoking rates in Warrington fall during Covid pandemic

NHS Digital data shows 875 people in Warrington set a date to quit using the NHS Stop Smoking Service between April last year and March.

At follow-up meetings held a month later, 576 said they had given up – 66 per cent. The previous year, 82 per cent of people in Warrington said they had successfully quit smoking.

Nationally, the self-reported quit rate rose from 51 per cent to 59 per cent over this period.

Some 1,700 smokers looking to kick the habit across England last year were aged under 18 – and 45 per cent reported quitting.

Though up from 41 per cent the previous year, it was still the lowest success rate of any category, and well behind the 61 per cent of people aged 60 and over who achieved the same.

In response to the data, Warrington Borough Council and LiveWire said they hoped a resumption of face-to-face sessions now that Covid restrictions have eased will encourage more to quit smoking.

In a joint statement, they said: “The last 18 months have been a challenging time for everyone, and those who have quit with support from the SmokeFree Warrington team have done incredibly well.

Smaller proportion of smokers in Warrington kicked the habit during pandemic

“In 2020 we were delighted to be named the top authority in the north west for people quitting in four weeks and the new figures released from NHS Digital show Warrington remains above the national average for people reporting to have stopped smoking.

“This is testament to both Warrington’s Tobacco Control Plan and the fact that people have taken on board public health messages during the pandemic and made the positive decision to quit for good.

“During the pandemic, there was a drop in the number of people being referred to the service via health professionals – however there was a rise in people self-referring.

“The SmokeFree Warrington team worked throughout the lockdown periods to help people quit, delivering the service remotely via telephone and online channels.

“The team have been able to restart face-to-face sessions with people who want them, further increasing the support on offer to people and businesses in the town.

“Looking ahead, October sees the annual month-long Stoptober campaign, which aims to bring a wider focus to the stop smoking support on offer locally, and the SmokeFree Warrington team are urging people to get in touch if they want support to stop smoking.

“Statistics show that people are more likely to quit for good if they have support.”

For more information, call 0300 003 0818, visit the @smokefreewarrington page on social media, text 07580384568 or visit livewirewarrington.co.uk/stopsmoking