Stoptober is back
Did you know that if a smoker can quit for 28 days, they are five times more likely to quit for good?
The Stoptober campaign is back* and launching its 10th mass quit attempt which will run from 1st October to 31st October 2021. The campaign has helped 2.3 million people make quit attempts since the campaign’s launch 10 years ago.
Over six million adults in England still smoke, and it remains the leading cause of premature death. A nationwide survey found that nearly half (45%) have been smoking more since the first lockdown began. Key reasons reported are due to being bored in the lockdowns or the COVID-19 pandemic making them more anxious. The disruptive impact of the pandemic on smoking patterns makes the 2021 Stoptober mass quit attempt more important than ever.
Public Health England (PHE) has released resources to support promotion of the Stoptober campaign, which can be downloaded from the Campaign Resource Centre. Resources include pharmacy resource packs, posters in a range of formats, digital screens, social media assets, web banners and an email signature to help amplify the campaign locally.
*Please note, this is not a mandatory health campaign topic, but pharmacy teams can choose to get involved in the campaign if they so wish.