The Tobacco-Free Me (s) ended with a success on Wednesday. In November, nearly 180,000 French people took up this courageous challenge. This duration multiplies by five the chances of stopping.
“In the pocket! The cigarette is over! “While the collective challenge of the Tobacco-Free Me (s) ended on Wednesday, Internet users do not hide their joy. On Twitter or Facebook, these ex-smokers are making more posts to celebrate the end of their history with cigarettes.
At the initiative of the Ministry of Health, the aim of this operation was not to stigmatize smokers, but to help them, if they wish, to start smoking cessation for at least 30 days. “This duration multiplies by five the chances of success”, explains the pilot of this operation, Olivier Smadja, representative of the health agency. Public health France. Contacted by Why actor, he is pleased that the figures recorded greatly exceed the objectives set.
What quantified assessment do you make of this first edition?
Olivier Smadja : We now know the number of people registered for the Tobacco-Free Moi (s) website. They are almost 180,000. But we think there were many more participants because so many smokers have tried the experience without registering. We had a target of 100,000 people. This level was reached at the end of October. We therefore believe that a dynamic has been launched around stopping smoking.
How can we explain this success?
Olivier Smadja : We have been very present throughout this month, everywhere. I am thinking, for example, of our partnership with Plus belle la vie. But that’s not all. Social networks have also contributed to our success. The “Tobacco-Free Me” Facebook page got 70,000 likes, which is very important. And at the height of the campaign, we had more than 10,000 interactions on it. In addition, the challenge of collective stoppage made the difference. People around you play a decisive role in stopping smoking. Relatives are one of the keys to smoking cessation and many of the participants took up the challenge together.
What did you think of the attitude of health professionals?
Olivier Smadja : We had several help from health professionals. On the one hand, the partnership we have forged with all pharmacies and their Order. The latter made the smoking cessation aid kit accessible in almost 20,000 pharmacies. Doctors, nurses, midwives, dental surgeons, physiotherapists, I think we can say that all health professionals are mobilized. Finally, the success of the operation was reinforced by a decision of the Ministry of Health. That of increasing the amount of the cost of nicotine replacement therapy to 150 euros.
What is planned for the after Moi (s) sans tobacco?
Olivier Smadja : From tomorrow we plan to rely on the Tobacco Info Service system which operates all year round. In particular the 39 89 which allows to be supported by a tobacco specialist. There is also a website, a smartphone application and pages on social networks (Facebook, Twitter). And then all these ex-smokers can call on all the health professionals who remain available to support them in their smoking cessation. In short, there are still a lot of resources to go and find the 13 million daily smokers in France.
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