Why not join thousands of others in Wales – quitting smoking this Stoptober?

As Covid-19 cases rise across Wales, there has never been more important time to quit smoking, and thousands of people across Wales are doing just that. If you’re a smoker why not join them, today?

Public Health Wales officials are urging smokers to join the thousands across Wales who have given up since the start of the pandemic, to protect their health, and the health of those around them.

Smokers are at greater risk if they catch the virus, because of the damage already caused to their airways by smoking. Meanwhile the hand to mouth action of smoking means they could be more likely to catch the virus.

Ashley Gould is a Consultant in Public Health at Public Health Wales. He said: “Put simply – COVID-19 attacks the lungs and airways. Smoking damages lungs and airways. That’s why smokers are at greater risk from COVID-19.

“The repeated hand to mouth movement associated with smoking can also give the virus an easier route in to your body. That’s two good reasons to try to quit smoking – but everyone will also have their own great reasons to quit. About 70% of smokers in Wales want to have a smoke-free future, and Help Me Quit services, run the NHS in Wales boosts people’s chances of that by 300%, compared to trying alone.

“Smokers, or those that care about them can search Help Me Quit or call 0800 085 2219 and sort out expert NHS stop smoking support over the phone, plus get free medication.”

Help Me Quit has offered stop smoking support through the pandemic via its helpline and saw a surge in demand for its services at the start of the pandemic with a 51% increase in referrals in April. In June and July referrals rose by 400, but plenty of appointment slots are still available.

According to research carried out by ASH and University College London, an estimated 33,000 Welsh smokers have quit smoking since the start of the Covid19 pandemic. Fears over the impact of the virus were the major driver for those quitting with 41% of smokers surveyed across the UK citing Covid-19 as their main reason for giving up.

Suzanne Cass is CEO of ASH Wales. She said:“Covid-19 has created a real sense of urgency among smokers who may have been thinking about giving up and have now taken the plunge and quit for good.

“Research has shown that smokers are at significantly higher risk of suffering more severe symptoms if they catch the virus and it is vitally important that this acts as a catalyst for change.

“We do not know how long the virus will be with us so we must ensure that easily accessible, well-funded and targeted quit smoking support is available across Wales as part of the country’s response to the Covid-19 crisis.

Quit smoking for good this October

Every October thousands of smokers across the UK join forces to quit for Stoptober.

There are multiple reasons why smoking is the best decision you’ll ever make for your help.

However, giving up such a powerful addiction can be a daunting prospect, particularly at a time when many of us are facing stress and uncertainty.

Thankfully in Wales there is free help and support available from the NHS Wales Help Me Quit service which is currently offering help over the telephone and can point you in the direction of the quit smoking method that will suit you best.

To get you on the road to thinking about quitting, we thought we’d list some of the reasons why quitting smoking really is the best decision you’ll ever make for your health:

Bouncing back

Did you know that the health benefits of quitting smoking kick in within just 20 minutes of you stubbing out your last cigarette? Here’s what happens to your body when you give up smoking:

 Within 20 minutes: Your pulse rate returns to normal

Eight hours: The nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in your body reduce by more than half and your oxygen levels return to normal

48 hours: Carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body and the lungs start to clear out mucus and smoking debris. By this time there is no more nicotine in the body and your sense of taste and smell will be better.

72 hours: Your energy levels will improve as breathing becomes easier and your bronchial tubes start to relax

2 to 12 weeks: The blood circulation improves

3 to 9 months: Lung function increases by up to 10 per cent and coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve

1 year: Your risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker

10 years: The risk of you developing lung cancer has fallen to half that of a smoker

15 years: You now have the same risk of having a heart attack as somebody who has never smoked in their life

Smoking, health and Covid-19 – the facts

-Every cigarette you smoke contains 7,000 chemicals, including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and ammonia.  69 of these chemicals cause cancer.

-Half of all smokers will die prematurely and smokers die on average 10 years younger than non-smokers

-Smokers are twice as likely to have a heart attack compared to non-smokers

-For every 15 cigarettes you smoke, a mutation occurs in your body, which could lead to cancer.

-Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is also a major cause of heart disease and doubles your risk of having a heart attack.

-The Covid-19 pandemic has made quitting smoking even more of a priority, with research showing that smokers are far more likely to suffer more severe symptoms from the virus.

Money, money, money

When you quit smoking, you’ll have a far healthier bank balance.

If you smoke 20 cigarettes a day you’ll be saving £72 a week and £312 a month once you quit. Within a year of giving up you’ll have an extra £3796 a month in your pocket.

Meanwhile 10-a-day smokers will find themselves £156 a month and £1898 a year better off once they quit.

Those who prefer to smoke rollies will save £480 a year if they smoke 5 a day, £960 a year, for 10 a day and if they smoke 20 a day, an incredible £1921 a day.

Friends and family

By stopping smoking you’ll improve the health of your family and friends by reducing their exposure to second-hand smoke, which carries significant health risks.

Exposure to other people’s smoke raises the risk of lung cancer in non-smokers by 20 to 30% and coronary heart disease by 25 to 35%.

Children are most at risk from the harms of second-hand smoke because their respiratory systems are still developing

Home sweet home

Your home will be a happier and healthier place once you quit smoking. When you smoke in your home, 80% of cigarette smoke is invisible and it lingers around the house for up to 5 hours.

As well as posing a health risk to your family and friends, third hand smoke, the residue left behind after smoking, builds up and stains surfaces and furnishings.

When you smoke in the home, you put the health of your pets at risk.  Second hand smoke can cause breathing problems and even cancer in cats, dogs, birds and fish.

If you’d like to find out more about how to quit smoking this Stoptober contact www.helpmequit.wales or visit the ASH Wales website

FAW announces historic move to ban smoking on the side-lines of children’s football games in Wales

Wales is to become the first country in the UK to see smoking banned on the side-lines of children’s football games in a historic move by the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and FAW Trust.

FAW logoThe decision by the FAW to introduce a no smoking policy on the side-lines of its small-sided, children’s football games has been welcomed by Health Minister Vaughan Gething and follows a campaign by ASH Wales aimed at de-normalising smoking and preventing children from ever taking up the habit, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and increased risks faced by smokers.

It is launching the policy today to mark World Heart Day which is run by the World Heart Federation and supported by UEFA and Healthy Stadia.

In the first grass-roots country-wide initiative of its kind in the UK, FAW and FAW Trust will ask all small-sided football teams to apply the policy during games and training sessions for 522 junior clubs, 3,159 teams and 42,232 players across Wales.

The new FAW policy will see smoking banned from the side-lines at football matches across Wales for ages 5-11-years old from September 2020, followed by 5-12-years from September 2021 and then 5-13-years from 2022.

Research has shown that children are highly influenced by the behaviour of adults in their lives, such as parents and sports coaches. Children with a parent who smokes are 70% more likely to smoke themselves. The Smokefree Sports Cymru campaign aims to raise awareness of this intergenerational habit with 9% of 15 to 16-year olds in Wales still smoking and more than 6,000 children taking up smoking every year in Wales, according to Cancer Research UK. The policy will also ensure that more children are protected from exposure to second-hand smoke.

A pilot smoking ban was trialled at Rhondda & District Football League’s mini and junior football games and at the South Wales Women’s and Girl’s League junior matches before the decision was made to introduce the policy across Wales.

The FAW and FAW Trust policy comes ahead of new regulations banning smoking in playgrounds and in the grounds of schools and hospitals as part of the Public Health (Wales) Act, that are due to come into force next March.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said:

“I welcome the work undertaken by the FAW to ban smoking on the side-lines of all children’s football games in Wales. Voluntary bans like this one help protect children from seeing smoking as an acceptable and normal behaviour and can help prevent them from taking up smoking in the first place.

“I remain committed to take further action to de-normalise smoking in more public places, particularly those where children are likely to be present and plan to introduce a ban on smoking in outdoor care settings for children, school grounds, hospital grounds and public playgrounds on 1st March 2021.

“I would encourage anyone who wants to quit smoking to contact Help Me Quit, the NHS Wales service on Freephone 0808 163 3129 or visit HelpMeQuit.wales to request a call back. Smokers who use cessation support are up to four times more likely to succeed.”

CARDIFF, WALES – Picture taken pre-Covid. Thursday, June 1, 2017: Vaughan Gethin (Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport) [L] (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Dr David Adams, FAW Trust Technical Director, added:

“As a parent of children who take part in grassroots football, I am delighted with our partnership with ASH Wales and that the FAW and

Dr David Adams, FAW Trust Technical Director

FAW Trust are leading the way to help the next generation of children grow up recognising the health risks associated with smoking.

“This step change is also part of our wider agenda to ensure children’s first experiences of small sided football are positive.”

According to ASH Wales’ latest YouGov survey, 82% of adults in Wales are in favour of banning smoking in outdoor areas where children play sport.

Suzanne Cass, CEO of ASH Wales said:

ASH Wales CEO Suzanne Cass

“Currently in Wales there is an urgent need to address youth smoking prevalence which is still at an unacceptable level. When children witness adults lighting up in everyday settings such as football pitches, they come to see smoking as a normal lifestyle choice, rather than the deadly addiction that it is.

“This policy will make a big difference to children’s perception of smoking and we very much hope that this will prevent many of them from taking up the habit in later life.”

Dr David Tuthill, Officer for Wales at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) also welcomed the move:

“We applaud this new initiative by the FAW. Earlier this year, our State of Child Health report showed that Wales had the highest proportion of young people smoking of all the four nations.

“Worryingly, this proportion seemed to be increasing – the only one of the four where that was the case. Smoking causes long-term harm to children and adults. Keeping children smoke-free is vital.”

John Griffiths, MS, for Newport East and Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Smoking and Health said:

John Griffiths MS ASH Wales
John Griffiths, MS for Newport East

“This is another important step forward to making our public spaces fully smoke free. The side-lines of our children’s football games across Wales should be a safe place for parents and players. They shouldn’t have to endure the harmful effects of passive smoke.”

World Heart Day takes place on September 29 every year and aims to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke. This year’s campaign has special significance due to ongoing efforts to tackle Covid-19. Research has shown that smoking tobacco, poor diet and physical inactivity are associated with increased severity of disease in Covid-19 patients.  The campaign is urging all football fans across Europe to stop smoking, do more exercise and eat a balanced diet.

Head of BHF (British Heart Foundation) Cymru Adam Fletcher, said:

“Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health and to protect the health of your heart. Inhaling cigarette smoke increases the risk of getting heart disease, including having a stroke or a heart attack because it forces your heart to work harder than it should have to.

“We welcome this decision by the FAW and FAW Trust to ban smoking on the side-lines of children’s football games. It will help to change perceptions towards smoking and help to prevent young people seeing it as a normal lifestyle choice.

Cross Party Group on Smoking & Health, September 2020

The meeting will consider the impending Public Health (Wales) Act, due to come into force in 2021. The new regulations will ban smoking on hospital grounds, on school grounds and local authority playgrounds. During the meeting stakeholders and partners will discuss how best to maximise the benefits of these regulations.

Please email enquiries@ashwales.org.uk for more details and login information.

Speakers

Smokefree Partnership

Based in Belgium, the mission of the Smokefree Partnership is the effective implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Claire Clement, Policy Officer will:

· Present the European smokefree policy map and explain where Wales sits in the world of tobacco control including the rate of change

· Explore some of the emerging trends in tobacco control

· Outline the different ways in which these policies are adopted

· Recommendations surrounding the key elements of the adoption of smokefree policies.

Dr Esteve Feranandez, Director of Tobacco Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the School of Medicine of the University of Barcelona.

Spanish Tobacco Control law includes bans on smoking in hospital grounds, school grounds, children’s playgrounds and more recently a ban on outdoor terraces and public places.

Dr Fernandez will:

· Provide an overview of smokefree hospitals

· Pitfalls to avoid, ie poor enforcement procedures

· Indicators of success and reward programmes

· Recommendations for the successful adoption of smokefree policies

Andrea Crossfield MBE, Independent Public Health Consultant, Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership

Andrea is leading the mobilisation of the Making Smoking History Strategy in Greater Manchester alongside partners across the city region to reduce smoking prevalence further and faster than anywhere else in the UK and globally, over the next 3 years.

Andrea will:

· Present of summary of where they’ve reached in their ambition

· Share outcomes of the programme so far

· How the Data Toolkit is used to measure progress and shape future policy

· What lessons have been learned

Please email julie@ashwales.org.uk for more details and login information.

How smoking affects the respiratory system

Information checked against current lung-health guidance: 7 October 2026.

It’s common knowledge that smoking damages the respiratory system.  If you’re a smoker you’ll have noticed that you cough frequently and may suffer from breathlessness.

That’s a sign that smoking is affecting the health of your lungs and that you may have developed a respiratory condition as a result of your habit. 

You may also have seen images showing the difference between the healthy lungs of a non smoker, compared to the blackened and unhealthy lungs of a non-smoker. But do you know why smoking is so bad for your lungs?

In this article we’ll explain why smoking harms the respiratory system and how quitting the habit will benefit your respiratory system.

How does smoking affect the lungs?

The lungs are lined with cilia – little hair like structures that do the important job of sweeping particles out of your airways. Smoking damages the cilia and stops them from working properly

Smoking causes the airways to become inflamed and to produce more mucus which can lead to a chronic cough.

The airways also start to narrow as a result of the damage caused by smoking, making it harder for air to flow in and out of your body, leading to breathlessness.

This shortness of breath is a symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – a group of lung conditions that cause shortness of breath, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Your lungs contain air sacs called alveoli which transfer the oxygen you breath in to your bloodstream. Smoking destroys the alveoli meaning the lungs are less able to provide your body with oxygen, a condition called emphysema.   As the condition progresses you will find it more difficult to take part in physical activities and may even feel short of breath while resting.  Your brain function will also be affected as it will be receiving less oxygen than it needs.

Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer which develops when toxic substances contained in cigarette smoking cause the cells in the airway to become malignant.

Smoking is the most common risk factor for COPD. Asthma + Lung UK says around 9 in 10 cases of COPD are linked to cigarette smoking. Smoking is also a major cause of lung cancer. If you want more detail about COPD and quitting, see our smoking and COPD guide.

Smoking can make existing lung conditions harder to manage. Stopping smoking can improve lung function, reduce symptoms such as breathlessness, coughing and wheezing, and reduce the risk of COPD flare-ups and respiratory infections.

The benefits of quitting smoking

After just one month of giving up smoking, your lung function will start to improve. As the lungs heal you will start to cough less and breathlessness will improve. You may find yourself better able to take part in physical activities.

Lungs that have been severely damaged by smoking cannot return to normal if you quit. However, by giving up you will prevent diseases such as COPD getting worse and further affecting your quality of life

When you stop smoking, you reduce your chance of developing lung cancer. After 15 to 20 years your risk of developing lung cancer will be reduced by 90% compared to those who continue to smoke.

If you are a smoker who would like to access free help and advice on how to quit smoking, then contact NHS Wales Help Me Quit service.

Health board reports rise in pregnant smokers quitting the habit since start of pandemic

Midwives in Swansea have reported a sharp increase in the numbers of pregnant women quitting smoking since the start of the pandemic.

Swansea Bay University Health Board saw the quit smoking rate among pregnant women rise from 4% to 8.9% since March.

The increase comes despite the fact that midwives are unable to use CO monitors to measure women’s carbon monoxide levels due to the risks of spreading the virus.

Smokers are at substantially increased risk of suffering more serious complications if they develop Covid-19 because smoking weakens their lung defences and causes pre-existing lung conditions that are major risk factors for the virus.

Smoking during pregnancy can also lead to greater risk of serious complications, such as miscarriage and stillbirth, putting the health of women and their babies at risk. Across Wales, 16% of pregnant women smoke.  Smoking prevalence is highest among pregnant teenagers with 30% of pregnant 16 to 19-year-old’s smoking at the time of their baby’s birth and 33% at their initial assessment.

Ann-Marie Thomas

Ann-Marie Thomas is a community midwife and team leader at Swansea UHB. She believes that growing awareness of the risks faced by smokers from Covid-19, and a greater focus on healthier lifestyles is encouraging more pregnant smokers to quit:

“What we’re seeing is that people are more motivated to give up smoking because of all the public health messages that are out there.

“All the publicity around handwashing and now obesity means people are a lot more aware of how their lifestyles can have an impact on their health.

There’s also a growing awareness of the effect of Covid-19 on people’s lung function and people are starting to consider the quality of their own breathing.”

She went on to say that she has seen a particular change among younger pregnant women who traditionally have been more likely to smoke: “From my personal experience our younger pregnant women are now smoking a lot less and seem to be far more conscious of the importance of good diet, exercise and nutrition. They just don’t seem to think smoking is cool anymore.”

As midwives are no longer able to use CO monitors to start conversations around smoking, Ann-Marie said it is even more important for them to build good relationships and trust with the women they support and to provide non- judgemental advice on quitting smoking:

“Without CO monitors we rely more on people self-reporting about their smoking.  I do miss having the CO monitors because seeing the CO levels go down really helped people to stay motivated.

“It’s really important to build a good relationship with the women we work with because that opens the door to have that conversation about giving up smoking.

“I usually start off by asking people if they are eating and drinking healthily and whether they are relying on anything to deal with stress.  Everybody is different so you do have to approach every person in a different way. But good communication is the bread and butter of being a community midwife.”

Although there has been an increase in the numbers of pregnant women quitting, Ann-Marie said rates remain highest among the more deprived communities the health board covers, with many women having grown up among generations of smokers and seeing it as the norm:

“There are some communities where there isn’t as much awareness of the harm that smoking can cause a baby.  In areas of social deprivation where people are used to being surrounded by family members that smoke some women just think it’s a normal part of life.”

Previously the midwifery team had also encouraged the woman’s partner and family to give up smoking, both to encourage the mother to quit and to protect the baby from second hand smoke once it was born. As women have had to attend appointments on their own however, this has not been possible during the pandemic.

“It used to be that women could come along to the antenatal appointments with a partner or family but now they come on their own which can be a double-edged sword,” said Ann-Marie.  “Sometimes being on their own makes them feel more comfortable about talking about any issues.

“But that can also make it more difficult to address smoking in the wider circle of family and friends. Previously we have tried to encourage partners that smoke to also contact Help Me Quit because we know women that smoke are more likely to make a successful quit attempt if their partner does too.”

Currently the NHS Wales Help Me Quit service is providing support to women over the phone and Ann-Marie said the midwives are following up with women on how their quit attempt is progressing.
She said she is delighted by the increase in numbers deciding to quit:

“I’m over the moon about the increase. I took part in smoking cessation training last year as part of a secondment to the public health team and it has been hugely beneficial. I learnt so much about having motivational conversations with women and I’ve brought that back to my role and to the rest of my team. This is great news for us as it shows the message is getting through.”