30.08.12
Every Breath campaign returns to the North East
The ‘Every Breath’ quit smoking campaign is relaunching to highlight the links between smoking and COPD. Smoking is the main cause of the irreversible lung disease, with over 80% of cases due to this.
The campaign, run by FRESH, began last Autumn and triggered a significant rise in the number of smokers using NHS Stop Smoking services.
Figures from the NHS Information Centre show a 17% increase in people setting quit dates in the North East, compared to 2.9% nationally, and a 21% increase in people making it successfully to week 4 of their attempt.
A survey after the campaign also found that more than two thirds of smokers in the North East were more likely to quit after seeing the adverts.
COPD is the second most common cause of emergency admission to hospital, costing the NHS an estimated £491m per year. The Every Breath campaign will run again in the North East on TV, radio and at the cinema.
Ailsa Rutter, director of FRESH, said: “The Every Breath campaign has been a real wake up call to many smokers. It was news to those who thought that being short of breath was normal, when in many cases it is an early sign of COPD and it makes quitting even more urgent.
“We’ve had so much positive feedback from people who said the hard hitting, factual approach gave them the reason they needed to quit smoking and have made the decision to run it again, based on the campaign’s proven track record of results.”
Professor Paul Corris, Professor of Thoracic Medicine at Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “This campaign was a remarkable success story and is an inspirational piece of work. Having a smoker in the family is an issue for all because it impacts on the whole family, not just the smoker.”
Caroline Stevens, interim chief operating officer at the British Lung Foundation said:
“The North East has the highest rates of COPD in the country, and I’ve personally spoken with many people from the area who have told me how they wish they’d quit smoking years before their illness forced them to.”
For more information, visit www.everybreath.tv
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