One in two smokers said that they considered giving up smoking completely due to the global pandemic, a study from Well Pharmacy revealed.
In a bid to help smokers cut down, Well Pharmacy will be offering advice to their customers through the NHS Stop Smoking Service on which products can help those looking to give up and kick the habit.
The research from Well Pharmacy shows that 60 per cent of smokers said that they knew smoking had a greater risk of more severe Covid symptoms but continued to smoke anyway.
Nearly 49 per cent said they considered giving up completely due to the Covid-19 global pandemic.
However, 18 per cent said they were now more aware of the risks and had cut down on their smoking intake, whilst 23 per cent were unaware of these stats.
With the final lockdown restrictions having been lifted in recent weeks, a new study has revealed that a quarter of British smokers (22 per cent) are now smoking up to 20 per cent more than they were since before the pandemic began.
Yet, despite these alarming numbers, 41 per cent said that their smoking had remained the same since the Covid-19 outbreak last year. On average, people started smoking at 23 years old (22.55 mean score).
Katie Wright, Pharmacist from Well Pharmacy said: “As life slowly gets back to normal and people have come to take a greater interest in their health, we’re here to support our customers with the best possible healthcare advice to stop habits such as smoking. If you want to feel fitter and healthier, the best thing you can do is stop smoking. It’ll only take a few days before you start to notice the effects – you’ll breathe easier and find physical activity less strenuous after just three days!
“We offer expert advice on Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRTs) such as patches, lozenges, sprays and gums, to help find the right medicine for each individual. Research shows that people are four times more like to win the battle against smoking with a combination of support services and stop-smoking medicine”.
