All this month, Birmingham City Council is running a positive campaign to encourage residents to quit smoking
Birmingham City Council Public Health has launched a new campaign to encourage healthier living among residents by giving up smoking – for good. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths across the city region. But what makes this campaign different is the way in which it frames quitting as a positive, empowered choice – for the smoker and those around them.
Photo by John Cardamone / Unsplash
‘Choose life’, says one poster in the campaign. ‘Choose family [and] choose health … Choose to stop smoking with local help and support.’ The campaign is being run on social media, digital platforms, radio and out-of-home displays all across the city.
Through the scheme, Birmingham residents who choose to quit can access a 12-week programme of support from the Birmingham Stop Smoking Service, delivered by local pharmacies, businesses, and GPs across the city.
Research shows that those who can go smokefree for 28 days are up to five times more likely to quit smoking permanently – so a 12-week programme really helps.
The service is free to those who already don’t pay for prescriptions. Those who do pay for prescriptions will be charged a single prescription fee for the whole duration of the 12-week programme.
The council has already seen significant progress in efforts to reduce levels of smoking, with levels of smoking now at a record low of 12.2% (down from 13.6% in 2023). The council is aiming to achieve levels of less than 5% in Birmingham by 2030 through its wider Smokefree Generation initiative.
Cllr Mariam Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care at Birmingham City Council, says: ‘The New Year is the perfect time for Birmingham residents to choose a healthier future by stopping smoking. We know that quitting isn’t easy, but with the right support, it’s absolutely achievable. Our 12-week stop smoking programme has already helped drive smoking rates down to record lows in Birmingham, and we want to build on this success. Every person who quits smoking is making a positive choice, not just for themselves, but for those closest to them.’
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