Website of the Department of Health

New 'Smokefree Generation' want parents to quit

A new ‘Smokefree Generation’ of children say that they will never try a cigarette, think that smoking is really uncool and are increasingly worried about the health of smoking parents according to new research conducted on behalf of NHS Stop Smoking Services.

The research, which polled 1,000 children in England aged 8-13, coincides with the launch of a powerful new Department of Health advertising campaign aimed at getting loved ones to stop smoking. It features real children, not actors, talking about how concerned they are about their parents’ smoking.

Gillian Merron, Public Health Minister said:

'We understand how difficult it is to stop smoking. I hope this new campaign will give mums and dads the encouragement they need to realise they can do it with help from the NHS, and support from their children.

'You are four times more likely to quit if you use the free NHS stop smoking service. The facts are clear – every week 2,000 people die from smoking-related diseases, which has a devastating effect on children’s lives.'

Key findings include:

• Almost all (96%) children with a smoking parent wish that they would quit.
• Nine out of 10 children surveyed have never tried a cigarette, with 91% of these believing that they will never try one.
• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of children whose parents smoke would rather their parents quit smoking than give them more pocket money.
• More than 9 out of 10 children think that older people who smoke don’t look cool.
• One in 4 children (27%) believe that smoking could be extinct by 2030.

This emerging picture of the first ‘Smokefree Generation’ is backed up by the latest Information Centre statistics on tobacco which show that regular smoking among 11 to 15 year olds has halved since its peak in the mid 1990s.  

The majority of  children are clear on the risks of smoking, with nine out of 10 (87%) children polled believing that people smoking around them is damaging to their health, and three quarters (76%) recognising that it increases the likelihood of developing cancer.

Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive, Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) said:

'These powerful new adverts are about tapping into emotions that children of smoking parents are experiencing on a day to day basis. This campaign gives smokers a clear incentive as to why they should quit and a clear guide as to how they should do so – using free local NHS support.'

Children are increasingly worried about the impact smoking has on family life, with four out of 10  indicating they have at least one parent who smoke, with half (51%) doing so in the home and a third (35%) doing so in the car. A further three quarters (76%) of children whose parents smoke in the car are concerned about damage to their health.

Children polled felt that the main benefit to being brought up in a smokefree environment was the improved health of the family (84%), a more pleasant living environment (71%) and improved family finances (69%).

Kath Luxton, Local NHS Stop Smoking Adviser from West Sussex PCT said:

'We work with lots of families to help parents stop smoking in a way that suits them best. This could be one-to-one sessions at a time or place that suits, group sessions for moral support or prescribing nicotine replacement to help them through those tough first few weeks. All our families who’ve been successful tell us that our help and support was invaluable in helping them give up smoking for good'.

For help quitting, call the NHS helpline on 0800 066 5826 or visit the link below.

• nhs.uk/smokefree (opens new window)