A pilot project encouraging Salford smokers to quit cigarettes by switching to vaping instead is now being rolled out nationally.
The ‘Swap to Stop’ scheme was tried out in Salford because in 2021 the city had the highest smoking rate in Greater Manchester at 19 per cent of adults – nearly 40,000 people.
The pilot programme’s success means it is being used nationally to encourage 1 million smokers to give-up.
Sarah Price, chief officer for Population and Health Inequalities at NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care, said: “Since 2017, Greater Manchester has been on a journey to become a smokefree city region and it’s great to see initiatives that have been successful in Greater Manchester being rolled out nationally as part of these new plans announced.”
🆕The Govt has announced new plans to reduce smoking rates, including a “Swap to Stop” scheme encouraging 1million smokers to switch to vaping – based on an original pilot in #Salford. The plan follows other successful Greater Manchester interventions📰👇https://t.co/esdtm2JSJy pic.twitter.com/x85bQtAWU9
— Make Smoking History | Greater Manchester (@HistoryMakersGM) April 12, 2023
The high smoking rates are blamed for cancer rates rising every year in Salford, with nearly four in ten cancers in Salford potentially avoidable through the change in lifestyle.
According to ‘Make Smoking History’, smoking still remains the largest cause of preventable deaths and illnesses in Greater Manchester, with it being estimated 5,700 adults die each year.
Smoking also has a negative impact on the environment, including the environmental damage from discarded cigarette butts.
The Impacts of Smoking on Community & Environment
Cigarette butts are the single most littered item in England accounting for up to two-thirds of litter.
Salford local Rob Kanter, 43, said: “I’m quite surprised by that,
“It is pretty staggering, I would have thought that it would have been around 20-30%. Never thought it would be in the 60%.”
However, he did note that people maybe more inclined to vape rather than smoke.
He continued: “It’s the lesser of two evils, and if it really can help to get people off smoking it is probably a positive thing.”
Keep Britain Tidy research also showed that 52 per cent of smokers thought putting cigarettes down a drain was acceptable.
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