Countless people in Sheffield will be saved from “the misery of heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and throat cancer” as NHS data reveals the city is helping more adults quit smoking than any other English core city.

Smoking prevalence in adults in Sheffield has dropped from 17 per cent in 2017 to just 10.3 per cent in 2023, according to the Sheffield Smokefree service.

Greg Fell, the director of public health in Sheffield, said: “We have one of the most proactive tobacco control programmes in the country and we are one of the highest performing cities in relation to reducing smoking – we have the lowest smoking prevalence of all the core cites and this has happened because many people across the city have worked tirelessly day in, day out, doing the right thing for many years.”

A graphic displaying Sheffield's low smoking prevalence rate of 10.3 per cent - lower than any other core English city. | Sheffield Smokefree

placeholder image — A graphic displaying Sheffield's low smoking prevalence rate of 10.3 per cent - lower than any other core English city. | Sheffield Smokefree

New data for April to June 2024, published in November by NHS Digital, shows for every 100,000 smokers, 1,380 reported they had successfully quit in Sheffield.

Compared to other core cities, Sheffield’s self-reported successful quit rate is significantly higher than most others.

In Manchester, for every 100,000 smokers, 263 said they had successfully quit. Sheffield also beats other core cities like Bristol (355 per 100,000 smokers), Brighton & Hove (230 per 100,000) and York (483 per 100,000).

More people quit smoking in Sheffield than any other core city. | Getty Images

The closest core city to Sheffield was Liverpool, which saw 918 successful quitters per 100,000 smokers over the same time period.

Mr Fell continued: “I am so particularly proud of the work done to reduce smoking harms in Sheffield. This work will save countless people from the misery of heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and throat cancer. It will impact on families across generations and make sure that babies come into worlds that are smokefree, increasing their chances and opportunities.

“The recently published data (Nov 24) on the Statistics on Local Stop Smoking Services in England (April to June 2024) further demonstrates how we continue to flex our local approach, with Sheffield achieving the highest number of referrals, quit dates and 4 week quit outcomes of the core cities who submitted data. We believe this is down to the change in our local service offer which launched April 2023: Quit, Switch, Cut Down.”

Sheffield Smokefree are regularly out speaking with people in the city about the options to help them quit smoking. | Sheffield Smokefree

Smokefree Sheffield say they have a multi-component approach including: preventing the sale of illicit tabacco and vapes; supporting smokers to quit; harm reduction; creating smokefree environments; and engaging with the public to encourage quitting.

Councillor Angela Argenzio, chair of the Adult Health and Social Care Policy Committee at Sheffield City Council and the co-chair of the Sheffield Health and Wellbeing board, said: “Smokers have told us that the flexibility of the new approach is more attractive to them and having the different options available feels less overwhelming in getting started on their smokefree journey.

“It is important to highlight that the work of the tobacco control partnership in Sheffield hugely contributes to the delivery of the Fair and Healthy Sheffield Plan by contributing toclosing the unfair gaps in the city in length and quality of life by improving the health and wellbeing of our citizens.”

More information on how to access quit support can be found at NHS Stop Smoking Service - Yorkshire Smokefree, text ‘ysf’ to 80800 or call Smokefree Sheffield on 0114 5536296 or free from mobiles on 07833 048200.