Teen worries over parents smoking
Teenagers worry more about their parents smoking that anything else going on in their lives.
A new survey has revealed that 46 per cent of teenagers worried about their parents smoking more than money, bullying and their parents divorcing.
Three quarters of teenagers have asked their parents to stop smoking, and 43 per cent are angry that their parents won’t listen to them.
Fiona Andrews from Smokefree South West said: “Teenagers care about the health of their family far more than we might think. Many parents who smoke and make that vital call to their local NHS Stop Smoking Service do so as a result of their teenagers asking them to stop and cut the risks of damage, disability or early death
“There are now over a thousand locations across the South West so this free service is close-by and convenient. And smokers are four times more likely to go smokefree with local NHS Stop Smoking Service support.”
Knowle West mother Tracy Hawkins, decided to quit her 20-a-day habit earlier this year after her four teenage children kept telling her to stop smoking.
“They were constantly complaining about the smoke in the house and how it’s bad for my health, as well as costing me a lot of money,” Tracy said. “So in the end I decided to do something about it.”
She went along to the nearby Knowle West Health Park, where the NHS Stop Smoking Service runs a walk-in centre every Tuesday morning from 9-11am, and spoke to a specialist adviser.
“The adviser talked to me about the various ways I could quit and I decided to use nicotine replacement therapy to help me kick the habit. I now go along every week and have a chat to one of the advisers about how I am getting on. They are very good and it really helps to have that regular support.
“My children have been so supportive of me quitting, and it has helped to keep me motivated,” Tracy added.
Tracey’s 13-year-old daughter, Carla, is pleased she has finally decided to go smokefree: “We learned at school about how bad smoking is for your health and how even passive smoking was dangerous, so we started to go on at Mum about stopping smoking for all of us.
“I’m really proud of her for quitting and I keep telling her how well she is doing to make sure she stays off the cigarettes.”
An estimated 32,000 people in the South West who stopped smoking last year used the free NHS Stop Smoking Service.
NHS Smoking Helpline (0800 169 0 169)
NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline (0800 169 9 169)
