smoking

No Smoking Month is fast approaching, and the Public Health Agency (PHA) and Cancer Focus Northern Ireland are encouraging smokers to ‘Make March Your Month to Quit’. In 2024/25, a total of 9,587 people were reported to have set a quit date through PHA funded stop smoking services in Northern Ireland. This year could be your year to quit for good and join the thousands of people across Northern Ireland making a positive change to improve their health. Dr Joanne McClean, Director of Public Health at the PHA, said: “March is No Smoking Month and a fantastic opportunity to make the commitment to

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging smokers to make quitting smoking their New Year’s resolution and to take a positive step towards better health. The agency funds a range of free stop smoking support services to help people on their quit journey. Colette Rogers, Strategic Lead for Tobacco Control at the PHA, said: “The beginning of a new year provides a brilliant opportunity to make a fresh start and to quit smoking. It’s one of the best things you can do to improve your health and protect people around you from harmful second-hand smoke. Quitting will also save you money, which

This Lung Cancer Awareness Month (November) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer and to know how to reduce your risk. Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in Northern Ireland, with the latest published data showing that there were 1,367 people diagnosed with the disease here in 2022. Dr Louise Herron, Consultant in Service Development and Screening at the PHA, said: “Lung cancer is more common in people over 50, but no matter what age you are, it is so important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease as

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging smokers to make it their New Year’s resolution to quit smoking and improve their health, with a range of free support available to help. Dr Joanne McClean, Director of Public Health at the PHA , said: “The start of a new year provides a brilliant opportunity to make a fresh start and to quit smoking. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your health and protect people around you from harmful second-hand smoke. Quitting will also save you money, which is significant as people face tough times with the cost of living crisis

This Lung Cancer Awareness Month (November) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer. Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in Northern Ireland with over 1,300 people diagnosed in 2021. Dr Louise Herron, Consultant in Service Development and Screening at the PHA, said: “Lung cancer is more common in people over 50, but no matter what age you are, it is so important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer as spotting it early could make a huge difference.” Signs and symptoms of lung cancer may include: a

GRAPHIC MESSAGES There are over 2,000 smoking-related deaths in Northern Ireland every year. These are avoidable. The government is now running a consultation around creating a smoke-free generation and tackling youth vaping. Make your voice heard and complete the survey at www.pha.site/smokefreeconsultation Have you had your say? The government is running a consultation on creating a smoke-free generation and tackling youth vaping. Don’t miss your chance to give your input. Find out more at www.pha.site/smokefreeconsultation Make your voice heard on the government’s ‘smoke-free generation’

Smoking is the single most entirely preventable cause of ill-health, disability, and death in the UK. It is responsible for around 2,200 deaths per year in Northern Ireland. No other consumer product kills up to two-thirds of its users. On 4 October 2023, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published a command paper ‘Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation’ setting out proposed actions to help protect future generations from the harms of smoking by creating the first “smokefree generation”, which the UK government and devolved administrations are now