Free vape kits boost smoking quits in Calderdale

A new report has revealed that the number of people giving up smoking increased from 64% to 75% after the kits were offered during a trial funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and delivered by Yorkshire Smokefree Calderdale.

Yorkshire Cancer Research supports the use of vaping as a tool to quit smoking and has spearheaded programmes and initiatives to help bring better access to vapes for people who smoke across the region.

Research shows that vaping has a significantly lower cancer risk than smoking, with key chemicals linked to cancer present at much lower levels in people who vape compared to people who smoke.

Paul Lambert, Head of Services at Yorkshire Cancer Research said: “Evidence shows that vaping products are an effective method of supporting people to stop smoking, and the results from our programme in Calderdale clearly demonstrate that they have a crucial role to play in reducing smoking rates.

“The vape kits were particularly helpful for people who had almost given up trying to quit after using other methods. As a result of the charity’s funding and the success of the trial, Yorkshire Smokefree Calderdale now includes vape kits as part of its service.”

Yorkshire Smokefree Calderdale is a community stop smoking service commissioned by Calderdale Council. The service, delivered by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and funded by Calderdale Council, provides a choice of group, telephone, or one to one support to quit smoking.

Alongside professional support, people who sign up to the service are offered a choice of stop smoking products, including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as patches and gum, and a medication called ‘Zyban’.

During the vaping trial funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, a total of 1,110 people attempted to quit smoking through the service, with 407 people choosing to use a free vape kit either alone or in combination with NRT.

Of those who used vaping either on its own or alongside NRT, 314 people (77%) who set themselves a target date to quit smoking were recorded as having successfully done so when tested four weeks later.

Bryan Hoyle, from Sowerby Bridge, is one of the people who successfully stopped smoking thanks to the vaping trial. He first started smoking when he was seven years old and continued for 58 years before finally receiving the support he needed to quit for good.

After having a heart attack and being diagnosed with COPD, Bryan was referred to Smokefree Yorkshire Calderdale by his respiratory nurse. He had previously attempted to stop smoking numerous times and had at one point tried switching to nicotine patches, but it wasn’t until he discovered vaping that he was able to overcome his need for cigarettes.

Bryan said: “It’s like a switch in my brain has been turned off and I’m able to deal with what’s controlled me for all these years. No matter how long you have been smoking for, with the help of a specialist service you’re never too old to stop. If I can do it after nearly 60 years of smoking, anyone can.

“Even if you’ve tried quitting before and it hasn’t worked, with the right support you can swap to the right stop smoking aid for you. I’m so grateful to both NHS Yorkshire Smokefree and Yorkshire Cancer Research for giving me that option.”

A report on the study found that the percentage of people who successfully quit smoking was higher among people who used vaping alone (79%), compared to people who chose nicotine replacement therapy (73%) and people who chose only behavioural support (71%). Vape kits also proved to be the most cost-effective option for the service.

Women were more likely to choose to use vapes to help them quit. Of those who used vaping products, 57% were female and 43% were male. Vaping products were also most popular among people aged 55 to 59.

The trial was successful in helping people from disadvantaged communities quit smoking. Of those who signed up to quit using a vape kit, 45% were living in one of the most deprived areas in Calderdale.

Of those who took part and provided feedback, 82% said the offer of a vaping device encouraged them to seek support to quit smoking, and 96% said they would recommend vaping as a way of stopping smoking.

Through an additional partnership, vape kits were also offered to men with serious mental illness living at Cygnet Lodge, a rehabilitation service in Brighouse, where stop smoking medication is not an option. By providing an alternative stop smoking tool, the vaping trial helped people at the lodge quit smoking more successfully.

Kate Dearden, MP for Halifax, recently visited Yorkshire Smokefree Calderdale to discover more about Yorkshire Cancer Research and the service’s success.

She said: “Supporting a smokefree Yorkshire is essential to improving health outcomes. I was pleased to learn about Yorkshire Smokefree Calderdale, which is working with local groups like The Brunswick Centre to provide vital stop-smoking support across Halifax. Tackling smoking—the leading preventable cause of cancer—is critical to reducing the region’s cancer rates.

“It was great to meet with Yorkshire Cancer Research to learn about their incredible work across the region, from improving earlier diagnosis to offering rehabilitation support for cancer patients. Their initiatives are making a real difference in helping patients and reducing risks.

“With Yorkshire facing higher cancer rates than the UK average, this work is crucial in building a healthier future for our community.”

Jan Spence, health and wellbeing community manager at Yorkshire Smokefree, said: ‘‘Yorkshire Smokefree Calderdale has enjoyed a successful partnership with Yorkshire Cancer Research to deliver the vaping pilot. The report highlights the success of the pilot and the benefit to service users. As a result, we will continue to offer vapes as a quit aid alongside the licensed stop smoking medications.”