Smokers quit for Stoptober

Over a quarter of a million people across England and Wales stopped smoking last month during 'Stoptober'.

The number of smokers in England accounted for 18.4 per cent of the population in 2013, a drop of 1.1 per cent compared with 2012, according to the data from the Office of National Statistics. According to UCL's Smoking Toolkit Study, a monthly questionnaire of smoking habits, smoking rates are continuing to fall in 2014.

Kevin Fenton, national director of health and wellbeing at PHE said: 'With more than 250,000 participants, it is fantastic to see that this year's Stoptober has been so successful.

Evidence shows the clear health benefits that giving up smoking provides, and that by quitting smoking people can make a huge difference to their long-term wellbeing.

'The success of mass-quit attempts, such as Stoptober, show that a tobacco-free generation is now within sight as more smokers stub out their cigarettes as part of a conscious decision to improve their health.'

Smokers from other countries such as New Zealand and the Netherlands joined in with Stoptober for the first time.

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