Almost 168,000 people across Hertfordshire and west Essex smoke, that’s around one in 10 people in the area.
By quitting smoking, you could save around £48 a week – that’s £2,500 a year. There are life-changing benefits to quitting too. On average, a smoker loses 20 minutes of their life with every cigarette they smoke and someone is admitted to hospital because of smoking nearly every minute of every day.
In England, smoking claims 64,000 lives a year and causes one in four of all cancer deaths.
The good news is there is lots of support if you want to quit. More than 426,000 people across Hertfordshire and west Essex have already given up smoking, with more beginning their journey every year. The benefits of quitting start almost straight away too.
- after just eight hours harmful carbon monoxide levels in your blood will have reduced by half
- after 48 hours your senses of taste and smell start improving
- after two to 12 weeks your circulation will have improved
- after three to nine months your lung function increases by up to 10%
- after one year the risk of heart attack will have halved compared with a smoker’s
- after 10 years the risk of death from lung cancer will have halved compared with a smoker’s
- after 15 years the risk of heart attack is now the same as someone who has never smoked.
Evidence shows that once a smoker gets past the short-term withdrawal stage of quitting, the feelings of anxiety, depression and stress will fade and they will start feeling more positive.
For the younger generation, vaping, rather than smoking, has become the topic of discussion. Members of the ICB’s Youth Council have been working with colleagues at Hertfordshire County Council to help develop a set of resources for school children aimed at preventing them vaping.
This is part of a campaign they are working on and the Youth Ambassadors, currently aged between 14 and 18, have already given helpful insights into what young people think about smoking, vaping and how to prevent it. The Hertfordshire vape prevention campaign will include video materials featuring young people and a social media campaign.
For those who do smoke and choose to quit, you are not alone. There is free expert advice including:
- the NHS Better Health range of free quitting support
- the free NHS Quit Smoking app for the App Store and also one if you have Google Play
- Personal Quit Plan
- local stop smoking service look-up tool
- Information and guidance on nicotine replacement therapies
If you are a smoker or have ever smoked, and you live in Hatfield or Welwyn Garden City in east and north Hertfordshire, you may be eligible for a free lung cancer screening check. The screening will include checking if you are at high risk of lung cancer and if you are, you may be invited for a low dose CT scan. Finding lung cancer early means it can be treated more easily.
You will be contacted if your GP practice is taking part. For more information about the Lung Cancer Screening check visit the East of England Lung Cancer Screening website.
Take part in survey to help Hertfordshire go smoke free
Healthwatch Hertfordshire is working with Hertfordshire County Council’s Public Health team to support their goal of reducing the number of people smoking in the county.
The organisation is encouraging Hertfordshire residents to take part in a survey to help the public health team understand people’s experiences and insights about smoking.
By taking part, residents will help the team find ways to get more people using Stop Smoking services, understand what barriers are preventing access to support and how services to help people stop smoking can be improved in future.
The survey is available online. It closes on Friday 18 April.