General Health and Well-being
Added impetus for those trying to quit smoking in Stopober
Added impetus for those trying to quit smoking in Stopober
For those trying this month to quit smoking here are some interesting stats.
The areas of England most interested in quitting smoking, and those that are the most successful
- Wirral is most interested in quitting smoking, with the highest number of smokers setting a quit date.
- Stockton-on-Tees and Hackney are the second and third most interested in quitting smoking.
- Warrington has the highest success rate for quitting smoking at 84.24%.
With 1 October marking the start of the UK’s national quit smoking campaign, Stoptober, a new analysis has revealed the areas of England most interested in giving up smoking.
Online vape store Go Smoke Free analysed NHS Stop Smoking services data for 152 areas in England between April 2022 and March 2023. It considered which areas were most interested in quitting smoking, as determined by the number of people who had set a quit date per 100,000 smokers in each local authority.
It also considered which areas were most successful at quitting smoking, as ascertained by the number of people who reported that they had quit during a four-week follow-up.
The research found that Wirral has the highest number of smokers looking to quit, with 8,299 out of every 100,000 smokers in the Merseyside borough reporting to have set a quit date. Wirral is the first of four areas in the North West of England that feature in the top ten for a desire to quit smoking.
Areas with the highest interest in quitting smoking
| Rank | Local Authority | Number of people setting a quit date (per 100,000 smokers) |
| 1. | Wirral | 8,299 |
| 2. | Stockton-on-Tees | 7,564 |
| 3. | Hackney | 7,551 |
| 4. | Halton | 7,459 |
| 5. | Kensington and Chelsea | 7,331 |
| 6. | Camden | 7,326 |
| 7. | Southend-on-Sea | 7,264 |
| 8. | Warrington | 7,180 |
| 9. | Sefton | 6,966 |
| 10. | Westminster | 6,822 |
Areas with the highest success rate with quitting smoking
| Rank | Local Authority | Number of people setting a quit date | Successful quitters (self-reported) | Percentage of successful quitters |
| 1. | Warrington | 1,218 | 1,026 | 84.24% |
| 2. | Darlington | 145 | 119 | 82.07% |
| 3. | North East Lincolnshire | 516 | 404 | 78.29% |
| 4. | York | 191 | 142 | 74.35% |
| 5. | Knowsley | 1,166 | 833 | 71.44% |
| 6. | Rotherham | 1,362 | 964 | 70.78% |
| 7. | Doncaster | 1,865 | 1,306 | 70.03% |
| 8. | Wokingham | 601 | 420 | 69.88% |
| 9. | Bracknell Forest | 614 | 425 | 69.22% |
| 10. | Nottingham | 1,143 | 785 | 68.68% |
A spokesperson for Go Smoke Free commented:
“176,566 people in England attempted to quit smoking through NHS stop smoking services between 2022 and 2023, with an average success rate of 54%, at a four-week follow up.
“Warrington’s success rate of 84% is particularly commendable, however, it is important to acknowledge the determination and commitment of every individual across England who has sought support to quit smoking, regardless of where they are in their journey to going smoke-free.”
