Cigarette quitting rate up in smoke

NINE out of every 10 people who try to give up cigarettes fail within a year, a survey has revealed.

The North Eastern Health Board tracked the progress of 1,450 smokers who signed up to their quitting program. After three months, almost a third (32%) were still off cigarettes. After 12 months, this figure dropped to under one in 10.

The smokers on the pilot project received individual counselling and a six-week Stop Smoking course.