One million smokers a year England Try to leave by using methods with little chance of success, according to new research.
Nearly half (49%) of all those who try give up their chances of success greatly by relying on willpower or over-the-counter nicotine therapy (NRT) products like gums and patches.
Strategies used by the rest of the professionals – including e-cigarettes, The drug varenicline Heated tobacco products are more likely to work – Researchers say.
The findings, by a team led by Dr Sarah Jackson from University College London, have sparked calls for help services to encourage pensioners to use the most successful methods. This also includes websites, face-to-face behavioral support and NRT if prescribed by a doctor.
Just under two million smokers in England aged 16 or over are likely to try to give up in 2024 – nearly 40% of all Which still shines. However, the numbers using the most and least effective methods to help them quit were split 50/50, Jackson and her colleagues found.
They analyzed how 25,094 smokers in England tried to quit in the past year and the results they achieved. According to their findings, which were published in the JAMA Network and funded by Cancer Research UK: “While a range of effective smoking aids are available in England, many people have tried to quit using less effective forms of support or none at all.
“Successful quit rates can be improved by encouraging people to use more effective methods.”
Two out of five of all potential referrers go at it alone and try to quit without using any type of support. It is one of the most popular methods used by smokers but one of the least effective.
“Although it is possible to quit ‘cold turkey,’ smoking cessation attempts are more likely to be successful if they involve the use of evidence-based support,” Jackson said.
“Quitting smoking is like having two dice and trying to roll six sixes. It is possible to do – some people manage it on their first attempt – but most are unsuccessful.
“When people use the most effective smoking cessation methods, it’s like rolling a dice. Now they only have to roll a six, so they’re more likely to be successful.”
The proportion of smokers who try to quit each year rose from 29% in 2019 to 38% last year. The success rate increased over the same period, from 14.2% to 27.1%.
Dr Ian Walker, Croke’s executive director of policy, urged ministers to commit to funding stop smoking services until the end of this Parliament in 2029.
Jackson, a behavioral science expert, said better communication, including mass media campaigns, is necessary to tell smokers who stop which methods are more likely to work.
An NHS England spokesperson said: “NHS services help thousands of adults every year to quit smoking and live healthier lives.
“By offering personalized stop smoking support, the NHS gives people the best chance of quitting smoking, and we are continuing to increase smoking rates, which have fallen by more than half over the past three decades.”
to divide health Social Care said: “This government is committed to helping smokers quit, through a range of support services, as well as public awareness media campaigns.
“We are investing an additional £70 million in local smoking cessation services and are working to ensure all hospitals integrate smoking cessation interventions into routine care.”
