Smokers too stressed by recession to quit

Published on Sunday 21 June 2009 23:14

SMOKERS are putting off quitting because they are stressed by the economic downturn, according to a report released today.

With British people worrying about their job security, paying their bills and putting food on the table, almost 23 per cent of smokers said they were delaying plans to kick the habit, while 28 per cent believed they had been too stressed to make a successful attempt to quit in the past six months.

Jennifer Percival, tobacco policy adviser at the Royal College of Nursing in London, said: "This study shows that over two million people are delaying quit plans and exposing themselves to the harmful effects of smoking for longer than they need to."

Other findings from the survey, carried out by Ipsos Mori, found that smokers were more likely to cut down their spending on clothes (42 per cent) and the supermarket shop (21 per cent) than stop buying cigarettes (15 per cent).

Some 46 per cent felt more stressed than they used to, with 43 per cent blaming this on the economic climate. Nearly three-quarters said they found having a cigarette comforting when stressed, with a quarter increasing their habit.

Ms Percival, said: "Educating smokers about quitting remains a challenge, but the better the job we do, the more death and suffering we will prevent."

The study of 877 people will be presented at the UK National Smoking Cessation Conference in London.