No Smoking Day

Today (Wednesday 13 March 2024) marks No Smoking Day.

This year’s focus is encouraging people to quit smoking and win in four major aspects of life:

• Quit and win with your health

• Quit and win with your family

• Quit and win with your finances

• Quit and win with your fitness

ASH Scotland also want to raise awareness about the free NHS service available to everyone in Scotland to help with quit.

Quit Your Way can provide emotional support, recommend aids to help overcome cravings and formulate an individual plan to help someone to stop smoking.

Smoking in Scotland

15% of the population in Scotland still smoke. 15%

That’s 685,25 6 people we want to encourage to quit. 685,000

Inequalities

Smoking rates in Scotland are exacerbated by social inequalities. 25% of adults in the most deprived quintile (SIMD1) smoke, compared to 7% in the least deprived quintile (SIMD5).

31% of people with a long-term mental health problem smoke, compared to 16% without.

Health

Smoking is responsible for 8,260 deaths each year, accounting for 20% of annual deaths in Scotland.

52% of all cancers diagnosed in Scotland are linked to smoking.

66% of people in Scotland who smoke report they would like to stop smoking.

These statistics are based on the most up to date figures from the Scottish Health Survey 2022, and data from the Scottish Public Health Observatory 2021.

Cost of smoking

Below is a table of savings that could be made when giving up smoking*