No Tobacco Month: A Collective Challenge to Stop Smoking

Santé Publique France and the Ministry of Health and Prevention invite smokers to join the 2023 edition of No Tobacco Month with the aim of quitting smoking. This social marketing operation, which has been running since 2016, is considered by the OECD to be one of the most cost-effective.

With nearly 32% smokers among 18-75 year olds in France, including 25% daily, smoking remains a particular concern in France. It is responsible for 75,000 deaths each year, or 13 TP3T of total mortality. However, nearly two out of three smokers (59 TP3T) want to quit smoking.

Designed as a collective challenge, No Tobacco Month invites smokers to quit smoking during the 30 days of November.[1]. Maintaining a smoking cessation for a whole month increases the probability of achieving a definitive result by five. More than 130,000 people and 3,777 partners are participating in the No Tobacco Month operation this year, whether they are companies, associations or institutions.

A resurgence of interest in 2022, after the trough of the COVID-19 crisis

Participating in a collective action is the linchpin of this social marketing operation, which uses the lever of solidarity to stimulate the motivation of smokers. The slogan “You weren’t alone when you started, you won’t be alone when you stop.” is taken up again this year to highlight the collective basis of smoking, during initiation, but also on its maintenance. The aim here is to use this collective spring to quit smoking. Field actions in shopping centers and companies allow in particular to meet smokers as closely as possible.

Participation in No Tobacco Month had been disrupted by the COVID-19 crisis, and had only brought together 126,568 people in 2020 and 112,933 in 2021. With 162,012 participants registered in 2022, or 1.4% of the total smokers, participation had jumped by 43% between 2021 and 2022. In 2022, participation was female at 67%. The 25-44 age group was the most represented among registrations (54%, followed by the over-45s (33%, and under-25s (11%, and under-25s)).[2].

In total, more than a million smokers have already registered for previous editions of No Tobacco Month since its launch in 2016.

Tools to support the smoking cessation process

Several tools are available to smokers to support their efforts to quit smoking:

• The site No Tobacco Month allows you to register for the operation, participate in it and receive the Smoke-Free Month quitting aid kit.
• The site Tobacco Info Service offers tobacco information and support tools.
• The call number 39 89 (free) is the Tabac Info Service telephone line. It aims to connect smokers with a tobacco specialist and to benefit from personalized monitoring. It is particularly suitable for geographically isolated people and allows the least advantaged populations to be connected with health professionals. Since May 31, 2023, the platform Acceo allows deaf or hard of hearing people to access 39 89.
• The application ofe-coaching Tabac Info Service offers a personalized support program to optimize the chances of quitting.
• On social networks, the pages Facebook, X And Instagram Public Health France offers smokers the opportunity to talk with other smokers, support each other, obtain information and share tips for dealing with withdrawal.

Modelled after the Stoptober operation in the United Kingdom, No Tobacco Month has shown the value of social marketing actions. The massive involvement of a wide variety of partners, the scope of a national collective action and the strong publicity given to it are the main keys to the success of this operation. A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published in June 2023 confirmed that, while tobacco control actions are generally cost-effective, the No Tobacco Month operation is one of the most profitable.

Tobacco-Free Month is part of an overall strategy to reduce smoking. This includes increasing the price of tobacco, strong and effective regulatory measures (ban on sales to minors, development of smoke-free places, regulation of products to make them less attractive, etc.) and public awareness campaigns. All of these measures should be strengthened by the next National Tobacco Control Program (PNLT), announced this fall.

To learn more about No Tobacco Month, visit our information sheet.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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