City health boss to smokers: there's help available if you want to quit

Dr Ian Cameron, Leeds City Council Director of Public Health, praised the falling numbers of smokers in the city and said the expert help available could make attempts to ditch cigarettes even more successful.

“In Leeds we are continuing to make good progress reducing smoking rates,” he says. “When I was growing up, almost half the adult population smoked, cigarettes were readily available and widely advertised with the tobacco industry spending huge sums of money glamourising their product with expensive marketing campaigns to the detriment of health.

“We have moved on: now, less than one in five adults in Leeds smoke and children and young people increasingly avoid tobacco. This is good news, and we want the figures to keep improving as we know tobacco remains the biggest avoidable killer of people in our country.”

Dr Cameron backed campaigns to help people quit smoking and promote a smoke-free generation, adding: “Smokers in Leeds are generally keen to quit but trying to quit using willpower alone isn’t as effective as using a combination of stop-smoking support methods.

“With No Smoking Day, which took place on 13 March this year, we know it is a great chance to remind people they can access help to quit, as you're up to four times more likely to quit successfully with expert help and advice.

“I advise anyone to get support through One You Leeds, who offer expert help and if friends or family members want to give up, too, suggest that you give up together.”

You can also call the NHS Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044, between 9am and 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

The council is also fighting the sale of illegal tobacco, which makes it easier for children to get hold of cigarettes.

“While we all know tobacco is harmful, I’m keen for people to understand how illegal tobacco makes it more difficult for people wanting to quit by putting temptation in their way, and that illegal tobacco sellers also make it easier for children to start smoking and get hooked,” explains Dr Cameron.

“That is why we’re backing the Keep It Out campaign to crack down on illegal tobacco, which includes cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco and other smokers’ products smuggled into Britain without tax being paid on them, as well as counterfeit products.

“In recent years fewer people are either buying illegal tobacco or prepared to turn a blind eye to it. People can help us keep more illegal tobacco off the streets by reporting it via the Keep It Out website or phone the hotline on 0300 999 0000.”