New research has revealed that the smoking ban, designed to help protect people from secondhand smoke may have helped 400,000 people give up the habit.

The research revealed that smoking fell by 5.5 per cent in the nine months after the ban, compared with just 9.9 per cent in the previous nine months.

Professor Robert West, who carried out the research at the Health Behaviour Research Unit, explained his surprise at the impact of the ban.

He said: "These figures show the largest fall in the number of smokers on record. The effect has been as large in all social groups - poor as well as rich."

According to Jean King, director of tobacco control at Cancer Research UK, the results of the survey illustrate the fact that the ban is "saving lives".

There are now calls from tobacco pressure group ASH to introduce further measures to stop people smoking. Proposals include plans to ban people smoking in their own cars if their children are in there and removing all cigarette vending machines.

Primary lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK and 33,000 people die of the disease each year. ADNFCR-980-ID-18662718-ADNFCR

News Archive

August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007

At Direct Life we aim to ensure that all of our clients get the best deal possible when purchasing their life insurance, term life assurance, mortgage protection and critical illness life insurance policies online.

DirectLife.co.uk for all your Life Insurance needs. Copyright © 2006 Direct Life & Pension Services Ltd. All rights reserved.
Direct Life & Pension Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered office; Pinnacle House, A1 Barnet Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 2XX. Registered in England, No 2467691