NHS struggling to convince smokers to quit
NHS Tayside recorded the joint-lowest proportion of successful attempts at quitting smoking in Scotland last year.
- By Marjory Inglis
- Published in the Courier : 01.06.11
- Published online : 01.06.11 @ 08.14am
The health authority spent £1.6 million of Scottish Government cash over the last three years on programmes to help people stop smoking — and plans to spend a similar amount over the next three years.
NHS Tayside's deputy director of public health Paul Ballard said the health authority knew it had not been doing well on meeting Scottish Government targets on smoking and the figures were "not a big surprise".
According to statistics just released, Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire both recorded 33% rates of success in helping people stop smoking, while NHS Fife recorded a 42% success rate.
A total of 5106 attempts to stop were recorded last year in Tayside — although the total may include more than one attempt by the same person that year.
A total of 1693 successfully stopped smoking, when the ex-smokers reported they were not smoking one month after setting a date to quit. Of the mainland health boards, NHS Highland recorded the highest percentage of quitters in one month — 52%.
NHS Tayside recorded the highest percentage of failed attempts at one month after setting a date to stop smoking, with 1844 (36%) reporting they had started smoking again after one month. In NHS Fife the number was 1146 (28%).
Mr Ballard admitted the health authority did not meet government targets over the three years to the end of March. However he said Tayside was always going to have difficulty meeting those targets as the region was starting from a very poor position with high rates of smokers.
He said the health authority had performed well in terms of tackling smoking in pregnancy and in bringing down the numbers of smokers in areas of high deprivation. He added that Tayside had concentrated its smoking cessation and smoking prevention work in areas of high deprivation where the highest rates of smokers were.
Scottish Government targets now focused on areas of high deprivation, he said, seeking an 8% cut in the total numbers of smokers in the region over the next three years, with 60% of that target coming from areas of high deprivation.
"Compared to other parts of Scotland, we have much higher numbers of people smoking in Tayside because we have such high poverty," he said.
"We have some of the highest poverty outside of Glasgow. We have made a deliberate attempt to target people in deprived areas who smoke. We have been really successful in that and will continue to be really successful."
Regarding the failure to meet other smoking-related targets, he said, "We have a service improvement plan — we are on the case."
Picture used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user Valentin.Ottone.
09.32am - 01.06.2011 Jon Campbell - Lincoln, UK Report This
Perhaps because they stopped trying to convince people a couple of decades ago and just started bullying them instead.
09.36am - 01.06.2011 michael - lancaster, uk Report This
until the nhs staff can practice what they preach then people will carry on smoking. i was brought home by patient ambulance and on the way home one of the crew was on about smoking, the ambulance pulled up and both the crew were smoking their heads off.
11.51am - 01.06.2011 Charles - uk, uk Report This
The vast majority of smokers get pleasure from smoking just like drinkers get pleasure from drinking. They will only quit if they really want to.
01.55pm - 01.06.2011 Jane - London, England Report This
So £3.2 million spent over 6 years and the figures show that there has actually been an increase in the number of people smoking !!! The anti smoking industry are getting very rich on this money. People enjoy smoking and the more the healthists demand them to stop the more they will smoke
07.41pm - 01.06.2011 Fedupwith smokers - Dundee, Scotland Report This
Strokes, lung cancer, bladder cancer, throat and oral cancers, COPD, emphsyema, gangrene and leg amputations are all primarily diseases caused by smoking. Everyone knows the risks of smoking and those who choose to continue smoking should be charged for their treatment for all smoking related illnes
05.03pm - 02.06.2011 chas - uk, uk Report This
Non-smokers also have 'Strokes, lung cancer, bladder cancer, throat and oral cancers, COPD, emphsyema, gangrene and leg amputations'. Smokers however pay tax on their habit equivalent to over twice the cost of smoking ralated illnesses.
10.29pm - 02.06.2011 bill - Bromwich, England Report This
People enjoy it. They report that around 75% of smokers want to quit, its a complete lie but no one wants to suffer ill health through it. The 75% figure enables them some sort of justification, for bringing in smoking bans. The first smoking ban ever was brought in by the Nazi party in Germany.
09.29pm - 03.06.2011 Stuart Allan - Dundee, Scotland Report This
I'm happy for smokers to smoke all they like. They can puff away till they barf up a lung for all I care. It's their choice. However, they have no right to impose their habit on others. Which is what happens whenever someone lights up in proximity to people. If you have to do it, do it in private.
12.44pm - 04.06.2011 Scott Ewan - Dundee, Scotland Report This
Stuart, that sounds like NIMBYism ....
03.18pm - 05.06.2011 Stuart Allan - Dundee, Scotland Report This
Its the opposite of NIMBYism Scott. Its Only In Your Back Yard. OIYBYism :) NIMBYism is the use of specious, obfuscatory and imaginery arguments to prevent development for purely selfish reasons. My argument against smoking in public is based on none of the above. If one smokes, all smoke, fact.
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