Smokers under 30 are more than twice as likely to have
stopped smoking because of COVID-19 than those over 50, new
research published today shows.[1] This bucks usual trends, which
see smokers of all ages quit at similar rates,[2] and is despite
older smokers being more likely to have health conditions which
place them at risk from COVID-19, such as COPD and
diabetes.[3]
Analysis undertaken by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
and University College London (UCL) of 1370 smokers and recent
ex-smokers surveyed as part of the YouGov COVID-19 Tracker, found
that 5% said they had quit smoking in response to COVID-19.
However, among smokers under 30, 7% said they had quit because of
COVID-19 (a further 10% said they’d quit for other reasons since
the COVID-19 pandemic) while only 3% of smokers over 50 had quit
due to COVID-19 (a further 5% said they had quit for other
reasons).
This difference in quit rates between older and younger
smokers contrasts with quitting behaviour before lockdown. Long
term tracking of smoking behaviour by academics at UCL finds only
small difference in quit attempts between older and younger
smokers before the COVID-19 lockdown.
Dr Sarah Jackson, behavioural scientist at UCL says:
“The difference in rates of quitting between age groups
is quite astonishing. Older smokers do not seem to have responded
to the coronavirus pandemic in same way as younger smokers.
However, we know younger smokers tend to struggle more with
relapse and those who feel they might go back to smoking should
look for support to stay quit.”
Smokers looking for more support should
visit www.TodayistheDay.co.uk [4]
or speak to a local pharmacist or vape shop about using
alternative sources of nicotine to stay quit.
There are a number of reasons why under 30s might have been
more likely to change their smoking habits since lockdown:
-
Social lives have been completely
disrupted. Young people’s smoking
behaviour is more likely to be tied to social settings than
older people’s. With the loss of pubs, bars, parties and other
social gatherings many young smokers may have had fewer
opportunities to smoke and been more inclined to quit.
-
Young people have lost their
jobs. Young people are more likely to
work in industries that have suffered heavily as a result of
lockdown, such as hospitality. Reduced incomes may be a big
motivator for some to quit, given that young smokers are more
price sensitive than older smokers.
-
Moving back to the family
home. There have been reports of more
young people moving home as a result of the pandemic and
lockdown. This change of circumstances may be driving a change
in behaviour for many.
Carisse, 19, worked on reception at a gym until lockdown.
She quit smoking as part of focusing on her health while she was
furloughed during lockdown:
“I started smoking at thirteen to fit in. At first it
was social but then I smoked more to cope with stress - up to 20
a day if I was drinking. But I wanted to focus on health and
fitness while I was furloughed. Lockdown has shown me that I
don’t want or need to smoke, it’s just a desire to fit in with
other people. I’ve been using the Smoke Free app to monitor
health improvements and my nails and teeth are no longer stained,
I feel a lot healthier. I’ve got no intention of going
back.”
Deborah Arnott is the Chief Executive of Action on Smoking
and Health (ASH), which is leading a coalition of charities
calling on smokers to Quit for Covid. She says:
“It is fantastic to see so many young people taking
control of their health in this way. It is never too late to quit
smoking but the sooner you do the bigger the reward for your
health. We want to see more smokers join in and quit for COVID,
there has never been a better time to do your lungs a favour and
quit.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Action on Smoking and Health is a health charity working to
eliminate the harm caused by tobacco use. For more information
see: www.ash.org.uk/about-ash.
ASH receives funding for its programme of work from Cancer
Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.
ASH staff are available for interview. For more information
send an email to press@ash.org.uk or
phone Hazel Cheeseman (Director of Policy, ASH) on 07754 358
593.
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References
[1] The survey data was collected between
13th April and 29th June. It
was an online survey using the YouGov panel with 1370 respondents
who were smokers or who had quit smoking in the last 4 months.
For more information on the YouGov Covid Tracker
see: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/international/articles-reports/2020/03/17/YouGov-international-COVID-19-tracker
Further analysis
was conducted by ASH and UCL using the YouGov
findings
[2] Quitting intention by age -
Long term tracking of smoking behaviour by academics at
UCL
[3] Public Health England. Disparities in the risk
and outcomes of COVID-19. June 2020
[4] ASH alongside other regional and local partners have
been co-ordinating #QuitForCovid campaign to engage and support
smokers in quitting. See launch PR here: https://smokefreeaction.org.uk/around-300000-smokers-quitforcovid/
