Are Welsh Cities Motivated To Quit Smoking?

Across the UK, the NHS sees 506,100 hospital admissions attributable to smoking, and ‘Stoptober’ is here to help reduce this number. Stoptober is a month-long campaign to help those who want to quit smoking start their journey to becoming smoke-free through community support, health resources and increased awareness on the dangers of smoking.

Health experts The Independent Pharmacy, who provide stop smoking guides, medical advice and support, have conducted a data review to see which UK cities are the most motivated to quit smoking, and provide the best environment for helping smokers break away from the habit.

The study took a holistic view to uncover the locations best suited to supporting individuals looking to quit smoking, by assessing the population’s attitude to quitting smoking and the local authorities stance on progressing as a “smoke-free” city.

The overall result was compiled through analysis of each city’s search volume for quitting smoking phrases, the year each city council has pledged to become smoke-free, the percentage of the population who have never smoked, and the percentage difference between current smokers and ex-smokers to represent the population’s actionable and positive changes to quit smoking.

Top 10 Cities: The Best UK Cities For Quitting Smoking 

The Independent Pharmacy’s research revealed that Newcastle was the best UK city for those looking to quit smoking as it came out on top in the overall analysis of community drive to quit smoking, positive influences for quitting, and in local authority support. Newcastle’s motivation and positive environment to quit smoking score came out as 85.6/100, a whole 3.7 points higher than second place city London.

The top 10 cities for quitting smoking also demonstrate a strong north/south divide, with seven of the locations being northern cities. Could this be an indication of a difference in smoking attitudes between the two halves of the country?

The Cities Which Have Pledge To Become “Smoke-Free” The Soonest 

Of the top UK cities, Newcastle and Blackburn came out as the main trailblazers for dedication to becoming a smoke-free city, with the earliest date of 2030 quoted.

It’s fantastic to see that there is only a 5-year gap between the first and tenth position for smoke-free pledging, indicating that across the nation there is a noticeable drive to abolishing tobacco use in public spaces.

However, across the whole study, four cities are unlikely to become smoke-free until 2050. This includes Bristol, Southampton and Coventry.

The Leading Cities For The % of Population Who Have Never Smoked

Birmingham topped the rankings of the top UK cities which have the highest population per cent of people who have never smoked with 69.6% of the population avoiding tobacco altogether. This is closely followed by Leicester and Wolverhampton, suggesting that central England is a leading area for those who have never smoked.

It is promising to see that all of the top 10 locations have over 60% of their population who have never smoked, and of the 34 UK cities analysed, none dropped below 50%, suggesting that half of the population have never smoked.

Top Cities For Percentage Difference Between Current Smokers & Ex-Smokers 

Arguably one of the key metrics for those looking to quit smoking, this stat considers the population around them who can empathise with their journey to becoming an ex-smoker versus the population which still currently smokes, and could be a negative influence.

This metric looks at the area’s actionable change and the difference between current and ex-smokers. The higher the percentage difference, the more positive the population’s drive is to change their ‘smoking population’ into an ‘ex-smoker population’. The top locations for this positive change, and to help convert smokers to ex-smokers are, York, Bournemouth and Sheffield.

When it comes to quitting smoking, having a strong support network, source of positive influence and encouraging environment can help individuals successfully quit smoking.

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