Call to stop smoking ‘for sake of families’

THOUSANDS OF smokers in North Yorkshire who underestimate the risk of smoking cutting short their lives are being urged to stop for the sake of their families in a hard-hitting campaign.

Smoking is still the biggest preventable cause of ill-health and early death in North Yorkshire, killing about 1,000 people in the county every year.

The “Don’t Be The 1” campaign, supported by North Yorkshire County Council, highlights that one in two long-term smokers will die from a smoking-related disease.

However, surveys show that smokers underestimate the risk, with about half believing it to be one in 10 or less.

In contrast getting hit by a bus has about a two in a million chance of happening, while becoming a Lottery millionaire is about one in 10m.

Katie Needham, consultant in public health for North Yorkshire, said: “A one in two chance is odds that nobody would want.”

Coun Caroline Dickinson, the county council’s executive member for public health, said: “The ‘Don’t Be The 1’ campaign starts the run-up to Stoptober – the country’s mass stop smoking attempt – and there are more ways to quit than ever before. We are urging people to give it a go.”

Public Health England advice is that smokers, particularly those who have tried other quitting methods without success, should try e-cigarettes and people who are both vaping and smoking at the same time should make the full switch and stop smoking completely. Smokers can click on the DontBeThe1.tv website at http://dontbethe1.tv/ for tips on quitting.