South East region leads in quitting smoking in the UK

The South West is the least successful region in the UK in terms of smoking cessation 

Online vape store GoSmokeFree analysed data from NHS Stop Smoking Service in England from April to September 2023 to determine the number of individuals in each of the nine UK regions who reported successfully quitting smoking after setting a quit date.

The findings showed that the South East has the highest number of successful quitters, with 1,226 smokers per 100,000 reporting to have given it up.

The Isle of Wight is the most successful area to quit smoking in the South East with 3,124 people quitting per 100,000 smokers.

Of the 4,294 individuals who set a quit date in this region, 803 admitted to not being able to achieve their target.

A spokesperson from the online retailer noted that overcoming nicotine withdrawals and mental challenges can be exceptionally difficult when attempting to quit smoking

“Nicotine triggers the release of chemicals that make you feel good which is why it is so hard to quit, but the contents of tobacco/cigarettes can be highly detrimental to your health. This can be anything from gum disease to lung cancer which is why it is imperative to try and kick the habit,” the spokesperson said.

The North East and the North West ranked the second and third most successful regions, respectively, in the UK for quitting smoking.

Between April and September 2023, an average of 1,195 smokers per 100,000 successfully quit smoking in the North East, compared to an average of 1,164 per 100,000 smokers in the North West.

The area with the most success is Gateshead, which has 2,682 successful quitters per 100,000 people.

In the North East, 4,369 smokers set a quit date, but 703 of them failed to do so. Out of 4,916 smokers in the North West, 1,843 admitted they were unable to quit smoking.

Yorkshire and The Humber secured the fourth place, followed by the East of England, East Midlands, London, West Midlands, and South West.

In London, Kensington and Chelsea have the most self-proclaimed quitters with 2,758 people per 100,000 confirming they have given up smoking.

With an average of 599 smokers per 100,000 successfully quitting, the South West was found to be the least successful region in the UK for smoking cessation.

GoSmokeFree suggested that people struggling to give up smoking should explore various methods to achieve their goal, such as maintaining a smoking diary or switching to vaping.

“Keeping a smoking diary allows you to see which times you are most likely to smoke and discover your smoking triggers,” the company’s spokesperson said.

Because it doesn’t contain tobacco smoke like cigarettes, vaping is considered less dangerous.

The spokesperson emphasised that individuals using vapes can combat nicotine addiction by choosing the desired nicotine level in their vape liquid.

NHS data indicated that out of 90,782 individuals who set a quit date between April 2023 to September 2023 in England, 48,290 successfully quit smoking, representing a success rate of over 53 per cent.

According to Q2 statistics from NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, success rates for quitting increased with age, with 47.8 per cent of those aged under 18 succeeding compared to 56.1% of those aged 60 and over.