Over 5,000 people have signed up for Health Service Executive (HSE) plans to quit smoking since the launch of its latest publicity campaign in June.
The executive said the “QUIT campaign”, focussing on the death of one in every two smokers from a tobacco related disease, has seen a 300 per cent increase in the number of people joining the plan over the same period last year.
Today the HSE launched the latest phase of the campaign, which features people telling personal stories of bereavement through short films on television and online.
One of the people to feature is mother of two Pauline Bell from Wexford whose husband George, a heavy smoker, died from a heart attack three years ago at the age of 48. Ms Bell talks about her husband and describes how his loss affected her family.
Dr Fenton Howell of the HSE said evidence has shown the impact real-life stories like Ms Bell’s can help motivate smokers to quit and that results so far have shown the one in every two statistic has “hit home with Irish smokers”.
Visits to quit.ie are up by 170 per cent, while calls to the National Smokers’ Quitline (1850 201 203) and referrals to smoking cessation clinics have also increased by 50 per cent over year’s figures.
Welcoming the results Dr Howell said quitters can double their chance of success if they use supports and he encouraged those thinking of stopping smoking to seek help.
