BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: Smoking cessation services were introduced in 2000 across England to reduce health inequalities by offering free, tailored support combining behavioural interventions and pharmacotherapies. These services triple quit success rates compared to willpower alone, and have helped over 5 million people quit smoking since their inception. Despite this progress, over 6 million people in England still smoke, additionally service usage has declined nearly 80% since peaking in 2012, creating significant challenges for tobacco control efforts.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: In May 2024, Fresh, the Tobacco Control Programme for North East England, commissioned Bluegrass to conduct a Smoker Segmentation survey. The survey involved 1315 face-to-face interviews across 12 Local Authorities in a region known for comprehensive tobacco control but marked by high deprivation and above-average smoking rates.
The goal was to identify key differences between cohorts of smokers, understanding attitudes towards smoking and smoking cessation services, thereby raising awareness of and improving engagement and uptake of evidence-based support.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: The survey identified seven distinct smoker segments providing insight to common demographics and highlighted barriers to quitting such as mental health (92% linked smoking to stress relief). While 64% were concerned about health risks and 71% believed quitting would improve their lives, only 27% intended to quit within a year.
Although half of respondents were aware of smoking cessation services, only 15% had previously used them. Many (58%) felt services weren’t “for them,” and half doubted a service could help them.
Workshops and discussions based on these findings generated recommendations for enhanced tailoring of local communication, service delivery, and improved professional engagement to boost service uptake.
CONCLUSIONS: With £70 million in new government funding, smoking cessation services are expanding nationwide. Regional insights are shaping targeted communication to and flexible, accessible support tailored to smokers needs, helping to address regional challenges and reduce smoking rates further.