Public Health Wales (PHW) has bought the rights to an English smoking cessation campaign which it will run alongside the Stoptober initiative this year.

The risk-focused Don't Be The One campaign was originally run in February and March by Fresh North East, a health programme set up in 2005 to tackle smoking-related illness and death in north east England.

PHW had chosen to run the campaign because it had a "really good impact" on improving the public's knowledge of the dangers of smoking and would provide a way to increase referrals to smoking cessation services in Wales separately to Stoptober, it told C+D yesterday (September 2).

Running the two campaigns at the same time was an attempt to avoid a "one size fits all" approach to smoking cessation, PHW said.

"Stoptober is a good opportunity for people who are ready to understand the risks of smoking, but Don't Be The One would be helpful for people who don't realise the risks they are putting themselves under," a spokesperson said.

The Welsh version of the campaign, which will launch alongside Stoptober next week (September 8), will be publicised by primetime slots on ITV Wales and S4C as well as field marketing in areas with a high prevalence of smoking and mailouts to former Stop Smoking Wales clients, PHW said.

The original Don't Be The One campaign resulted in 31 per cent of smokers who viewed it taking action to cut down on smoking, according to the Fresh North East website. Fifty seven per cent of smokers said they were "more likely to quit" after seeing it, the organisation said.

PHW has also taken on responsibility for the annual Stoptober campaign in Wales, which was previously organised by the Welsh Government.

Stoptober gazebo at Elvis festival

PHW plans to publicise the Stoptober initiative through radio and television advertising as well as local events. These would include stands in shopping centres as well as a Stoptober gazebo at the Porthcawl Elvis Festival, which will take place on September 26-28, it said.

PHW hoped the initiative would lead to higher levels of smoking cessation in Wales. "We have a target to reduce smoking prevalence just like everyone else, so Stoptober is an excellent way of doing that," it added.

Welsh pharmacies will be able to order materials for the Stoptober and Don't Be The One campaigns from the Stop Smoking Wales website from September 8.

	How are you getting involved with Stoptober?