Smoking Rates Ccontinue To Drop

24th September 2012

Smoking rates have fallen in the last year and more Scots are trying to stop, according to a range of new figures published today.

The 2011 Scottish Health Survey reports 23% of Scots adults are smokers, down from 25% in 2010;

In the last financial year, there were 118,394 quit attempts made with the help of NHS smoking cessation services, compared to 90,083 in 2010-11;
In the last financial year, there was a 31.5% increase in the number of items prescribed for smoking cessation, to 583,716, with nicotine replacement accounting for over 80% of prescriptions.

Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson welcomed the news, saying: "Giving up smoking is one of the best things anyone can do to improve their health. Through the Scottish Government's comprehensive approach to developing services and public information, more people are hearing the message and smoking rates are continuing to drop.

"Smoking cessation services are delivering positive results, with over 118,000 people using the NHS to try to quit with in the year to the end of March, while NHS boards have improved their capacity to respond to increased demand. I am particularly pleased at the number of successful quits in deprived communities in the last year, which exceeds our target by more than half.

"However around 40% of people in the most deprived areas still smoke and we need to keep our focus on tackling the link between smoking and deprivation. That's why all NHS boards are currently working to deliver a smoking cessation target which focuses on their most deprived communities."