Older people more likely to quit smoking
- Published: 21 August 2008 17:43
- Author: Clare Lomas
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- Last Updated: 21 August 2008 17:43
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Older people who set a date to quit smoking are the most likely to succeed, suggests a report published today.
Latest figures from the NHS Information Centre show that 60% of those aged 60 and over successfully quit in 2007/08, compared with just 38% of those under 18.
The report also revealed that of the 680,289 people who set a quit date through NHS stop smoking services, 52% were successful by the four week follow-up. This is 10% more than in 2006/07.
Helping people to quit smoking has become a top priority for the government with a record £61 million spent on cessation services between April 2007 and March 2008.
Tim Straughan, NHS Information Centre chief executive, said: 'Our figures show the NHS is spending millions more pounds on NHS stop smoking services, while thousands more smokers are successfully kicking the habit.'
