Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre review highlights need for more research into quitting smoking

The Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre, in collaboration with Public Health Wales, has conducted a review of research looking at how effective stop smoking strategies are for those living with depression or anxiety.

Rates of smoking amongst people with mental health conditions is over double that of the general population and this group is less likely to access services to help them quit, costing the NHS in Wales over £3 million each year.

With evidence suggesting the beneficial effects of quitting smoking can be “equal to that of taking anti-depressants,” the centre aimed to help identify the most effective strategies, like counselling or physical activity, for people with depression or anxiety.

Through the review, which brought together research from across the globe, the Centre concluded more UK-based research is needed to better understand whether current strategies have a positive impact on smoking rates.

Launched in 2023, the Centre was created to provide Ministers and other decision-makers with vital research evidence to tackle health and social care challenges facing Wales.

With the aim of reducing the number of people smoking in Wales from 13% to below 5% by 2030, the Welsh Government has requested this report to help inform the updated Tobacco Control Delivery Plan. The team are due to present the findings to the Tobacco Control Strategy Board later this year.

Professor Adrian Edwards, Director of the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre, said: 

Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable illness and death, and research like this is essential to ensuring people across Wales can access the best support to quit.

“The Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre is proud to work closely with Welsh Government to provide them with a high-quality evidence base to improve health and social care policy and provision.”

Olivia Gallen, a member of the public who was involved in the study, said: "The public voice is really important to research, particularly for issues around mental health. These topics affect everyone in different ways, and it has been positive to be part of something trying to highlight the complex relationship between mental health and the ability to quit smoking.

“These factors are so often linked, and yet relatively little is known about how to best support people with mental health needs with quitting smoking. This research is therefore important to better serve these communities and help guide them towards the interventions that best support people's needs when trying to quit smoking."

You can read the full report on the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre website.