Stoptober is an annual initiative that encourages smokers to refrain from smoking for 28 days in October to serve as a stepping stone to permanently quitting.1 Bedfont® Scientific Ltd has been helping people stop smoking for over 35 years with their Smokerlyzer® range, which gives users instant Carbon Monoxide (CO) readings using a motivational traffic light system to guide them towards their quit goal.
Statistics from the NHS show that in 2020, 506,100 hospital admissions were attributable to smoking2, which is 10% higher than 2009/10. However, thanks to stop smoking efforts and tools such as the Smokerlyzer®, in just over 10 years, UK deaths attributable to smoking have decreased by 9%2, although a figure of 74,600 deaths2 is still very alarming.
By analysing a breath sample, the Smokerlyzer® can tell how much CO is in your lungs and blood that has been inhaled from smoking. Smoking builds high levels of CO in the blood, which can lead to heart disease, circulation problems, and high blood pressure. The Smokerlyzer® is a useful tool for Stop Smoking Services to establish a smoker’s status, whilst acting as a motivational visual aid to encourage patients to quit smoking and to measure their progress whilst doing so, helping individuals kick their tobacco habit, preventing cancers and other smoking related diseases attributed to smoking tobacco.
An assessment of cigarette smokers using a CO monitor by Marler et al. (2020), found that 75.3% reported the CO monitoring increased their motivation to quit, over 90% of smokers indicated the CO monitor taught them about their CO levels and their smoking behaviour, and 73.1% reported that seeing their CO levels made them want to quit smoking.3
Visit www.https://www.bedfont.com/smokerlyzer to learn more about how you can aid patients to stop smoking, one breath at a time, with the Smokerlyzer® range this Stoptober.
References:
1. What is Stoptober? [Internet]. Thestoptober.co.uk. 2022 [cited 23 September 2022]. Available from: https://thestoptober.co.uk/what-is-stoptober/
2. Digital N, Statistics on Smoking E, Smoking S, Statistics on Smoking E, tables S, Author C. Statistics on Smoking, England 2020 – NHS Digital [Internet]. NHS Digital. 2022 [cited 19 October 2022]. Available from: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/statistics-on-smoking/statistics-on-smoking-england-2020
3. Marler JD, Fujii CA, Wong KS, Galanko JA, Balbierz DJ, and Utley DS. Assessment of a personal interactive carbon monoxide breath sensor in people who smoke cigarettes: single-arm cohort study. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2020;22(10):1-24. PMID: 32894829 PMCID: PMC7568220 DOI: 10.2196/22811.