Stoptober 2020 returns for its ninth year with the aim of encouraging smokers to quit for the month of October, based on the evidence that if someone quits for 28 days they are five times more likely to stop for good.

Public Health England (PHE) says Stoptober 2020 will focus on two distinct groups who have different motivations and views towards quitting, according to research. This comprises a primary audience of smokers aged 35 to 60 and a secondary audience of younger smokers aged 18 to 34 – both will be focusing on C2DE socio-economic groups.

The campaign will be made up of two key phases including a rally phase which has been taking place throughout the end of September and aims to encourage smokers to make a quit attempt on October 1. This will be followed by the support phase, which is designed to help smokers sustain their quit attempt throughout the month.

The free NHS Stoptober app is also available to download which allows customers to track their progress in the 28-day stop challenge, see how much they are saving and recieve daily support.

Pharmacy teams can get involved on a local level with the digital tool kit of camapign resources available, including posters, social media posts, TV display screens, digital banners and email signatures. 
 
This year’s Stoptober campaign sits alongside the Better Health initiative launched in July by PHE. Better Health encourages people to embark on a 'health reset' in response to the impact Covid-19 has had on health behaviours, such as smoking, diet and exercise.