N
F
E
R
F E AT U R E S
H
VAPING
REMAINS HIGH
ON THE
STOPTOBER
AGENDA
E-cigarettes combined with Stop Smoking
support is the most successful quit method
Words: Gordon Stribling
S
toptober is one of the most high-profile public health
campaigns in the UK. Since its launch in 2012, the Public
Health England (PHE) initiative has supported over 1.9
million smokers on their quit journey.
The message is simple: If a smoker can remain smoke-free for 28
days, they are fi ve times more likely to quit for good.
Since its 2015 landmark evidence review coined the much-repeated
‘95 percent less harmful’ fi gure, PHE has truly embraced the harm
reduction potential of e-cigarettes. But it’s only been in the last couple
of years that they have promoted them during Stoptober.
PHE has now become something of an ally for the industry, defending
vaping from the onslaught of negative press coming in the wake of
the US THC oil panic. Their stance is reflective of the growing body
of evidence supporting the relative safety of e-cigarettes that informs
European policy.
PHE said that in 2018-19, two thirds of smokers who combined an
e-cigarette with help from a local Stop Smoking Service managed
to quit altogether. Meanwhile, a Cancer Research UK-funded study
published earlier this year found that e-cigarettes were three times
more effective than nicotine patches and gum at helping smokers quit.
According to the latest Smoking Toolkit Study from University College
London (UCL), smoking rates in England are dropping at the fastest
60 VM25
rate in over a decade, with around 200 smokers successfully quitting
every hour.
Yvonne Doyle, director for health protection and medical director
at PHE, said:
“It’s really encouraging to see these early signs of such a fast drop in
smokers, but we’ve still got a way to go to achieve our ambition of a
smoke-free society.
“That’s why Stoptober is back and we are encouraging all smokers
to take part.”
This year’s campaign highlights the benefi ts of ‘breaking up’ from a
bad relationship with smoking. TV presenter and Stoptober champion
Nadia Sawalha revealed how she had framed her cigarette-use prior
to successfully quitting.
She said:
“I always knew smoking was bad for me, but I was addicted.
“I loved cigarettes and for years I used to joke that giving up smoking
was like giving up a bad boy lover.
“You think you’re having the best of times, but the truth is deep down
you know they’re no good for you.”
The Netherlands adopted Stoptober in 2014. A recent study published
in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public