Stoptober 2014 helps bring smoking rates to all-time low

The success of this year's Stoptober smoking cessation campaign been celebrated by Public Health England, as the number of active smokers nationwide fell to an all-time low.

More than 250,000 smokers across England and Wales took part in this year's challenge, giving up the unhealthy habit for 28 days as a first step towards quitting for good.

The news coincided with fresh data from the Office for National Statistics revealing that the number of smokers in England has hit a record low. Smokers accounted for only 18.4 percent of the population as of 2013, a drop of 1.1 percent compared to the previous year.

Smoking rates are continuing to fall in 2014, a trend that initiatives such as Stoptober – which has now been rolled out in New Zealand and the Netherlands – will help to encourage.

Kevin Fenton, national director of health and wellbeing at Public Health England, said: "Evidence shows the clear health benefits that giving up smoking provides, and that by quitting smoking people can make a huge difference to their long-term wellbeing."

Stoptober was first launched in 2012 and runs throughout October. It has proven a considerable success in each of the years it has been held.