One in three young smokers do it in secret

Embargoed until 00.01 hours Tuesday, 8 March 2011 – No Smoking Day One in three young smokers do it in secret One in three (33%) young smokers aged 18 to 24 keep their habit a secret, with nearly half (48%) of all young smokers masking the smell by using breath fresheners, mints or mouthwash or by brushing their teeth, according to a new survey to mark No Smoking Day tomorrow (9 March). More than two million of Britain’s nine million smokers* are secret smokers, with two fifths (42%) keeping their smoking a secret from their own parents. Overall, most secret smokers (43%) keep their habit a secret because their parents or family don’t like it or wouldn’t approve and many (33%) opt to have a cigarette at a party or on a night out or while popping to the shop (29%). Over a quarter (29%) have a cigarette when everyone is out of the house, while others (21%) nip to the shed, garage or garden to have a sneaky cigarette. Over a quarter (27%) feel embarrassed and 22% feel stigmatised by their smoking. Vishnee Sauntoo of the No Smoking Day charity said: “No Smoking Day (9 March) is the perfect time for secret smokers who want to quit to make that leap and give up. Today quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for your health. “Research shows that the majority of smokers started the habit when they were young, so it’s crucial to reach young people before it develops into a habit and the effects of smoking - ill health, as well as the damage it causes to skin, hair and teeth – kick in. “Many secret smokers are embarrassed or stigmatised by smoking; even well-known people are keeping their habit a secret. President Obama was a secret smoker until it was his time to quit. Join millions of others who are quitting on No Smoking Day.” The YouGov survey of more than 4,000 people of all ages across Britain showed that one in eight (12%) of those surveyed who plan to give up this year, planned to do so on No Smoking Day. One in five people in the UK currently smokes and 63% of these want to quit.* For more information on how to stop they can visit www.wequit.co.uk Case study Leela Lewis (26), was a secret smoker, but gave up a few weeks ago, when her grandfather was diagnosed with cancer. She started smoking at 13, but hid her habit from her parents because she was scared of getting into trouble. She said: “I started smoking at school because my friends did and it was a cool thing to do. I was only 13 at the time, but I took it up properly at 15 and started smoking every day. “I hid it from my parents, who would have grounded me if they’d found out. However, when they did find out, they talked to me about the reasons I shouldn’t smoke, and warned me about the dangers. “When I found out about my grandfather I knew it was time to quit,” said Leela. Whenever she feels like reaching for a cigarette, she chews nicotine replacement therapy gum and reminds herself that the craving does not last as long as it takes to smoke a cigarette. Notes to editors • For more information, please contact Yvonne, Vishnee or Nick at press@nosmokingday.org.uk on 020 7739 5110 or 07770 657241 or visit www.nosmokingday.org.uk • All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4010 of which 694 are smokers. Fieldwork was undertaken between 31 January and 3 February 2011. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). • Spokespeople are available for interviews • Regional statistics are also available. • No Smoking Day is a UK wide charity that runs the highly successful annual health campaign helping smokers who want to quit, and is supported by an alliance of the UK’s health promotion agencies and major health charities. Now in its 28th year, the campaign’s mission is to inspire as many smokers as possible to beat their addiction and take control of their health and looks. • Almost a million smokers in the UK kick the habit on No Smoking Day every year which this year is on March 9 2011. • The No Smoking Day charity runs www.WeQuit.co.uk, an online hub where people wishing to quit can find out about help available, get tips and advice on how to succeed and chat with other smokers wishing to quit and ex-smokers who understand what they are facing. Smokers wishing to quit can call 0800 169 0 169 (ENGLAND), 0800 085 2219 (WALES), 0800 84 84 84 (SCOTLAND), 0808 812 8008 (NORTHERN IRELAND) for free advice *These figures are calculated by No Smoking Day from smoking prevalence data from the Office of National Statistics based on the General Household Survey 2009