| One of the architects of the scheme said almost as many people had given up smoking in the first 20 weeks of quit4U as in the whole of 2007.
Andrew Radley, lead pharmacist in NHS Tayside’s directorate of public health, said 474 people had registered for quit4U.
Around 24 smokers a week were now signing up for the scheme, which offers support and advice — and gives quitters £12.50 a week if they can demonstrate they have stayed smoke free. Participants are required to visit a local pharmacy once a week to blow into a machine that records their carbon monoxide levels.
Mr Radley said one of the “key milestones” set by the Scottish Government for quitters was the one-month smoke-free target.
Of the 474 people who have registered with quit4U since the end of March, a total of 212 have stayed smoke-free for a month.
“For the whole of 2007 in Dundee, 220 people completed a one-month quit,” Mr Radley said. “To have 212 in the 20 weeks since we launched quit4U is a vast improvement.”
Mr Radley was reluctant attribute the results entirely to the incentive of having £12.50 a week loaded on to an electronic card that quitters can use in local Asda stores.
“We are saying a lot more people are engaging and a lot more people are being successful,” he said.
The scheme developed from a ground-breaking NHS Tayside project to encourage pregnant women to stop smoking. “Give It Up For Baby” was the first scheme to offer quitters cash incentives and it attracted interest from health authorities around the world.
Both schemes have also attracted intensive media interest, which has helped boost awareness.
“There has always been good quality support from pharmacists and groups and people do appreciate that,” Mr Radley said. “The incentive adds value for those trying to give up smoking.”
Quitters can claim £12.50 a week for a maximum of 12 weeks if they can demonstrate they are smoke free.
Mr Radley said 38 people had completed the three-month scheme successfully but it was still early days.
“We think in a couple of weeks that number will rise far more as people successfully give up smoking,” Mr Radley said.
“We are getting about 24 week a week joining the scheme and that is excellent. Our smoking cessation groups are saying there is really good progress.”
He said that Scottish national statistics for last year showed that across Tayside, an average 29% of people were smoke free one month after setting a quit date.
“We currently have 212 currently who have completed one month, which is 45% of those registered with quit4U,” said Mr Radley. “That’s significant.” |
