Secret smokers

East of England 7 March 2011 Embargoed to 00.01 Tuesday 8 March 2011 – No Smoking Day 100,000 smokers in the East of England do it in secret More than 100,000* (14%) of smokers in the East of England keep their habit a secret, according to a new survey to mark No Smoking Day (9 March). And more than half of their 786,000 smokers (57%) cover up the smell by using breath fresheners, mints, mouthwash or by brushing their teeth, while others used perfume or aftershave to disguise the smell. More than two million of Britain’s nine million smokers do it in secret, with one in three of them being young smokers, aged 18 to 24. Two fifths (42%) are adults who keep their smoking a secret from their own parents. Overall, most 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%) had a cigarette when everyone is out of the house, while others (21%) nip to the shed or the garage to have a sneaky cigarette. A quarter (27%) feel embarrassed and 22% feel stigmatised by their smoking. Vishnee Sauntoo, of No Smoking Day, said: “This 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. “We are encouraging people to visit our We Quit website, where they can find more information about how to stop and can speak to fellow quitters.” The YouGov survey of more than 4,000 people of all ages across Britain showed that one in eight of those surveyed who wanted to give up, planned to do so on No Smoking Day. One in five people in the UK currently smokes and 63% of these want to quit.** 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. 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 a registered charity 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 help them beat their addiction and take control of their health and looks. www.nosmokingday.org.uk, www.facebook.com/nosmokingday • Almost a million smokers in the UK kick the habit on No Smoking Day every year which this year is on 9 March 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 * The figures are calculated by No Smoking Day from smoking prevalence data from the Office of National Statistics based on the General Household Survey 2009. **Figures the from General Household Survey 2009