UK: Tobacco Products Display Ban Helped Smokers Quit, Poll Finds

Source from:  London 24 (uk)  04/07/2013

One in four young people who gave up smoking last year said the ban on displaying tobacco products in large shops helped them quit, a survey has found.

Just over 25 per cent of ex-smokers between the ages of 18 and 24 said that keeping the products hidden had encouraged them to kick the habit.

On April 6 last year supermarkets and other large shops were prohibited from displaying cigarette packs to the public.

The poll of 1,000 former and 1,000 current smokers - commissioned by health insurance firm PruHealth - also found the measure had helped 17 per cent of all smokers cut down on the amount they smoke.

Ministers introduced the move across England to help to change attitudes and social norms around smoking and to "protect" young people who are often the target of tobacco promotion.

Emma Wrafter, director of youth smoking prevention charity The Deborah Hutton Campaign, said: "We know from the young people that we work with through our Cut Films project that they and their friends can be influenced to smoke by seeing tobacco on display.

"The results from the PruHealth poll show that keeping tobacco out-of-sight and out-of-mind does work.

"Tobacco control policy measures are important in driving this and next we'd like to see a change to standardised and plain packaging for all tobacco products to protect future generations of young people."

At present, the display ban only affects large shops such as supermarkets - smaller shops do not have to change the displays until 2015.

Dr Katie Tryon, head of clinical vitality at PruHealth, said: "The younger generation is who the ban is primarily aimed at so these findings are very encouraging."

"The key to preventing a future generation of smokers is to try and discourage people from starting in the first place, as the older people get, often the harder it can be to quit." Enditem