No smoking day
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- This article is about a United Kingdom health awareness day. For the international observance see World No Tobacco Day
No Smoking Day is an annual health awareness day in the United Kingdom that is intended to help smokers who want to quit smoking. The first No Smoking Day was on Ash Wednesday in 1984 and now takes place on the second Wednesday in March.
The campaign is in its 25th year. The theme of the 2008 campaign was The Great No Smoking Day Challenge, which encouraged smokers to try quitting for a week, whilst gaining sponsorship to support their quit attempt. Participants were then encouraged to build on their success by seeking support to stay smoke free.
Smokers were also encouraged to sign up for free email and text message support, and free 'quit packs' were also provided.
Research conducted by GfK NOP following the 2008 campaign found that: 1) most smokers would like to quit, 2) most smokers were aware that March 12 was No Smoking Day 3) 20% of all smokers aware of No Smoking Day made a quit attempt on the Day (the highest percentage the charity has ever recorded).
The campaign is run by a charity of the same name, which is based in London and has four full-time staff. It is funded by a coalition of governmental and voluntary sector organisations with an interest in health.
