- 31% who smoke, or used to, say smokers don’t receive enough support to quit.
- Top reasons for quitting include improving physical health and saving money.
- Kenvue in the UK launches Smokefree Families to help reduce the 1.8 million smoking households with children in England.
- The company calls for more government action to reduce the immediate harm tobacco causes children.
New data* released today by consumer health company, Kenvue in the UK**, reveals parents who smoke and live with at least one child under the age of 18 are keen to quit. Nearly three-quarters (71%) have either tried to quit, or plan to in the next three months; however, 31% of parents who are current or previous smokers believe there isn’t enough support to quit, and nearly a quarter (22%) don’t know where to go for support.
With an estimated 1.8 million households in England with children having at least one smoker[i], Kenvue is working with GP Dr. Zoe Williams to launch its Smokefree Families initiative. It comes after the new government announced plans in the King’s Speech to deliver a smokefree generation by reintroducing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that will progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes. Kenvue welcomes this commitment, and is calling for the government to implement further measures to reduce the number of babies born into smoking households and help more households become smokefree.
As part of the Smokefree Families initiative, Kenvue commissioned a YouGov survey of 2,000 current and previous smokers living with children in the UK – 1,800 of them parents – to examine attitudes to smoking and the motivators and barriers to quitting. It revealed:
- At a time when household budgets are stretched[ii], and with the cost of smoking increasing[iii], 75% of parents identify saving money as an important reason to give up smoking.
- Parents recognise the importance of taking care of their own everyday health with 80% citing a chance to improve their physical health as a key reason to stop smoking.
- 64% of parents also see improving children’s health as motivation to quit.
In addition, Kenvue’s research revealed the vital need to do more to support parents trying to quit, as well as improve understanding of the health harms of secondhand smoke and the health benefits of quitting smoking while pregnant – especially in younger people:
- Fewer than half (49%) of respondents aged 18-24 know that by quitting smoking you will reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome; this is compared to 64% of all survey respondents.***
- Babies of pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke are 45% more likely to die from sudden infant death[iv]; and yet only 59% of all respondents and 46% of those aged 18-24 are aware of this increased risk.
Manoj Raghunandanan, Area Managing Director, Northern Europe at Kenvue, said:
“Kenvue globally has always taken a lead in helping to improve the health of babies, children, and parents through everyday care. For the 1.8 million households with children with at least one smoker in England, Smokefree Families is our commitment to understanding the challenges they face in their quitting journey and – crucially – taking action to support them making healthier choices for themselves and their families. It’s vital that more families receive much-needed support to become tobacco and nicotine free, and we’re calling on policy makers and industry to work together and secure a smokefree generation now.”
Dr. Zoe Williams, who is supporting the launch of Smokefree Families, said:
“With Kenvue’s survey revealing a need for not only more stop smoking support for parents, but increased understanding amongst younger people of the health harms of smoking in pregnancy and secondhand smoke, it’s vital we prioritise greater education. That’s why I’m pleased to get behind Smokefree Families and the work it is doing to help my fellow healthcare professionals support new parents who smoke and their loved ones. This first step isn’t always easy, but there is support available at every stage of the journey, so I urge anyone who wants to quit smoking to speak with a healthcare professional.”
Off the back of this research, Kenvue has developed a series of tools and materials to support healthcare professionals with their conversations with new and expectant parents, their partners and support networks, and smokers with young children, on their quit journey. The resources are available on Kenvue’s Academy+ website, a dedicated information portal for healthcare professionals. They include a ‘Quitting together for a smokefree home’ guide, which outlines six practical steps families can take to quit smoking, and a series of educational videos and guidance on how to support partners and dads to quit for good. The tools also respond to YouGov data which showed that one in 10 parents don’t feel comfortable opening a conversation about quitting together with other smokers they live with.
Healthcare professionals can access the patient and educational materials by visiting https://academy-plus.co.uk/campaign/smokefree-families.
If you are pregnant and a smoker, or a smoker living in a household where there are children or someone who is pregnant, please talk to your health visitor, GP, midwife, or pharmacist about accessing specialist support from trained advisors to give you the best chance of quitting.
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