Press release

June 2006

UK NATIONAL SMOKING CESSATION CONFERENCE 2006

SMOKING FACTS

General:

• In the UK 26% of the adult population smoke cigarettes ie 12.5million people. (NatCen 04)

• 27% of cigarette smokers are men and 24% women. (NatCen 04)

• UK cigarette smoking is responsible for over 100,000 deaths per year ie 2,000 deaths per week and 300 per day. (Twigg et al 04)

• Prevalence of cigarette smoking is higher among socio-economically disadvantaged people. Smoking rates are 15% in professional households compared to 34% in households with a manual job. (NatCen 04)

• Men smoke on average 14.5 cigarettes per day and women 13.3. (NatCen 04)

• Smoking causes about 30 per cent of all cancer deaths (including 84 per cent of lung cancer deaths, 17 per cent of all heart disease deaths and at least 80 per cent of deaths from bronchitis and emphysema.) (ASH)

• About one fifth of Britain's 15 year-olds – 18% of boys and 26% of girls - are regular smokers - despite the fact that it is illegal to sell cigarettes to children aged under 16. (ASH)

TOP

Smoking cessation

• 70 per cent of smokers would like to stop (Office for National Statistics, 04)

• National surveys showed in a 12 month period 32 per cent of smokers had made a quit attempt (West and McEwen. 1999) and 33 per cent had tried to cut down (ONS, 04).

• Without professional support, long term (12 months or more) abstinence is 3-5 per cent. (Hughes, Keely and Naud 04)

• Smokers are four times more likely to quit successfully with the use of medications and with help from NHS stop smoking advisers.

TOP