Quitting through willpower

About 42 percent of Irish smokers who quit during the past year did so through willpower alone, while 41 percent used electronic cigarettes, according to a story by Catherine Shanahan, health correspondent of the Irish Examiner, quoting a new report.
The report was based on the Healthy Ireland Survey 2018, which was published yesterday and which involved interviews with 7,701 people aged 15 and older.
One of the main findings of the report was that where people live can have a significant bearing on their health, with those in deprived areas more likely to engage in risky behaviours such as binge drinking and smoking.
The report shows that one-third of people living in deprived areas have a long-standing illness compared to under a quarter of people living in affluent areas.
Women living in deprived areas are more likely than those in affluent areas to continue smoking and binge drinking (six or more standard drinks) into their 50s, while men aged 55-64 living in deprived areas are 2.5 times more likely to smoke than their peers in affluent areas.
Across both genders, the report found:

• The incidence of smoking in deprived areas is 10 percentage points higher (26 percent v 16 percent) than it is in affluent areas.
• The incidence of binge drinking in deprived areas is five percentage points higher (31 percent v 26 percent) than it is in affluent areas.
• Those in deprived areas are less likely to visit a dentist but make more visits to their GP than those in affluent areas.

In more general terms, the report found that men had a more ‘lax attitude’ toward their health than women did, with higher levels of binge drinking and smoking among men, higher consumption of sugary drinks and less likelihood of getting the flu vaccine.
The survey showed some success in cutting the incidence of smoking, which went from 23 percent in 2015 to 20 percent in 2018.
Meanwhile, 23 percent of smokers say health warnings on tobacco packs have made them ‘at least somewhat more likely to quit smoking’.