Smoking awareness show encourages Greggs staff to quit

A smoking awareness show has been introduced to encourage Greggs staff to quit the habit.

The national cessation scheme has visited the headquarters of the food chain in Tyne and Wear to show staff how they can stop cigarettes for good.

In tandem with Pfizer’s Don’t Go Cold Turkey campaign, three road show events were held at Greggs office sites in Longbenton on May 14th and 15th in a bid to benefit the business’ employees who have annual occupational health support in smoking cessation.

The business invited smoking cessation advisors to attend the road show events and provide free advice to smokers to motivate them to quit the habit. It is hoped that the road shows ensured people were aware of the options available to them.

As well as this, the campaign aims to show how the correct approach can increase the chances of successfully breaking nicotine dependence cycles.

Although 48 per cent of people admit they struggle with the cost of smoking, only 38 per cent of British smokers aware aware of a Specialist Stop Smoking Service in their area, while just 12 per cent have approached these facilities for help previously, according to Pfizer figures.

Despite these figures, findings show that help from healthcare professionals can increase the chances of success by up to four times.

Janet Patterson, Greggs group co-ordinator, said: “The feedback from staff who attended the road shows has been really positive and has certainly helped to increase their awareness of the support available, if they are thinking about quitting smoking. It has also strengthened our relationship with the local Stop Smoking Service and we hope to work with them more closely in the future.”

The study also found that 72 per cent of respondents would be open to receiving help from a healthcare professional if they believed it would increase their likelihood of quitting.