GP Dr Sarah Jarvis on Stoptober

This Stoptober, smokers in England are being encouraged to put their lungs first, strengthen their immune system and breathe easier ahead of flu season by joining over 2 million smokers who have made a quit attempt since 2012 with the annual campaign.

Smoking damages the lungs and airways and harms the immune system, leaving us more vulnerable to infections, such as flu. Smokers generally have an increased risk of contracting respiratory infections and experiencing more severe symptoms. Stopping smoking brings immediate benefits to health, including for people with an existing smoking-related disease.

This year, smoking prevalence among adults in England is at a record low of 13.9%. New data show that in England in 2020 there has been an increase of nearly a quarter (22%) in quit attempts compared to 2019 and a quitting success rate of 23%, the highest since at least 2007. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has calculated that over a million people in the UK stopped smoking during the coronavirus lockdown.

New data released today in the UCL Smoking Toolkit Study find that compared to 2019 the proportion of smokers in England making a quit attempt has increased from 29% to 35% (an increase of almost a quarter) and the success rate for quit attempts has risen from 14% to 23%, representing an increase of almost two thirds.

Aston spoke to GP, Dr Sarah Jarvis to discuss more about the Stoptober campaign and also the research in further detail.

Photo by Julia Engel on Unsplash