Government Needs To Do More To Support People Who Want To Quit Smoking - The King's Fund, UK

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Article Date: 11 Dec 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Commenting on the government's announcement that tobacco products will be removed from display at point of sale, The King's Fund Director of Policy Dr Anna Dixon said:

'The government is right to intervene to create environments that are more supportive of people who have made the decision to stop smoking - an addiction that is hard to kick through personal will power alone. People who want to quit smoking face many obstacles and, as this issue demonstrates, a lot of opportunities for temptation are hard for them to avoid when going about their everyday lives.

'However, removing cigarettes from display isn't enough on its own. Our research clearly found that to help individuals commit to healthier lifestyles for the long term requires a variety of tactics - such as incentives, tailored information and personalised motivation and target setting.'

Notes

1.Commissioning and behaviour change: Kicking Bad Habits final report by Dr Tammy Boyce, Ruth Robertson and Dr Anna Dixon was published on Monday 8 December and is available on The King's Fund website.

2. This report concludes a year-long investigation into the effectiveness of different types of public health interventions. The five discussion papers that fed into this report plus seminar materials including podcasts of expert panellists can be viewed on the the Kicking Bad Habits project page.

3. The King's Fund seeks to understand how the health system in England can be improved. Using that insight, we help to shape policy, transform services and bring about behaviour change. Our work includes research, analysis, leadership development and service improvement. We also offer a wide range of resources to help everyone working in health to share knowledge, learning and ideas.

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