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Avoiding weight gain after stopping smoking

Stopping smoking is associated with considerable health benefits and large numbers of smokers want to quit. However, concern about weight gain is one of the reasons people often give for not being able to quit smoking. It often reinforces the decision to continue smoking, particularly in women and young people who may mistakenly believe that smoking is an effective way to control their weight. Even if an individual successfully quits smoking, weight gain can often be the factor that causes relapse. What can we do to help?

New smoking quit kit

The NHS has launched an innovative free Quit Kit to give smokers the right tools to help them successfully stop smoking. The NHS Stop Smoking Quit Kit, which has been designed by experts and smokers, contains calming audio downloads, a ‘stress toy’ and a tool to help smokers work out how much money they are saving by quitting. A recent survey of smokers in the East of England showed that nearly half (44%) wanted help to manage cravings, one third of smokers wanted tools and advice to strengthen willpower and 30% simply want something to do with their hands. Nicotine gum and patches were the most popular aids to quitting, with 30% of smokers planning on using a nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as gum or patches this New Year. The new free Quit Kit contains tools that have either been scientifically proven to help reduce cravings or have been developed in response to smokers’ needs. It includes:

· a “train to win” willpower assessor helping quitters to identify smoking triggers and providing tips on how to avoid them;

· two MP3 downloads that are scientifically proven to reduce cravings;

· a “tangle” – a new stress-relieving distraction tool for the hands, to help manage cravings;

· a toothbrush – to remind quitters of the benefits of fresher breath and so they can see the difference when they brush (smokers get a yellow residue on their toothbrush);

· a health/wealth wheel to work out how much money quitters can save and the immediate health benefits of quitting smoking;

· an A3 “Quit plan” wall chart so that quitters can mark their progress over 28 days and stay focused;

· details of local NHS Stop Smoking Services, where people can access NRT and stop smoking medicines, and tailored support – either through one-to-one or group sessions.

The free Quit Kits are being publicised in a series of adverts that show smokers how the right tools for the job can help them stop smoking. These are running alongside a powerful advertising campaign aimed at motivating smokers to quit by demonstrating how much their smoking affects their loved ones.

Helping your patients to manage their weight: a behavioural approach

The health risks of obesity are only too obvious but, despite this, its prevalence continues to increase. It is a leading cause of both physical and psychological ill health, and is notoriously difficult to treat. For this reason, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) emphasises the importance of preventing obesity and has produced guidelines on the most effective approaches. Many health professionals wish to support their patients with weight loss, but research has shown that they do not always feel well equipped to do this. In this article we review the importance of a behavioural approach in managing overweight and obesity and provide practical advice on how to help overweight patients achieve sustainable behavioural change.

What factors influence what we choose to eat and how can we improve choices?

Obesity is, quite literally, the big health problem of the 21st century, with rapidly increasing rates in both adults and children. In this article we explore why obesity is such a challenge and the role of primary healthcare professionals in addressing the problem. We try to unravel the wide range of factors that cause obesity before focusing on why people eat what they do and how we can help patients to review their eating habits, introduce changes to eat more healthily and then sustain those changes.

Helping patients with diabetes to win the battle to control their weight

Many people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese at diagnosis and continue to struggle to control their weight. This article looks at why people with diabetes find weight control more of a challenge than the rest of us and how practice nurses can help patients to remain positive, particularly when starting insulin to optimise blood glucose control.

Has The UK Smoking Legislation Improved Our Health?

Between March 2006 and July 2007 smokefree legislation was introduced in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, making virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces smokefree. Building on the experience of several other countries, the laws and regulations were designed to protect the health of workers and others from the negative consequences of breathing secondhand tobacco smoke. This article examines the impact that the legislation has had so far and provides guidelines for encouraging patients to stop smoking.

Choosing the Right Pharmacotherapy to Help Patients Stop Smoking

Most smokers want to stop smoking and intend to stop at some point, according to research. Nearly half of all smokers expect not to be smoking in a year’s time, but only two to three in every hundred actually stop smoking permanently each year. It is widely recognised that healthcare professionals have an important role to play in helping patients to stop smoking, but what is the best way to achieve this?

Anticoagulation in Practice: Why it Matters that the Dose of Warfarin is Spot On

More and more nurses in primary care are involved in monitoring international normalised ratio (INR) levels and advising patients on warfarin doses as anticoagulation clinics move out of secondary care and into primary care. In this article we explore why warfarin is prescribed, how to monitor patients on the drug and what to look out for in terms of interactions with prescribed medicines, over-the-counter drugs and foods. We also need to be able to advise on lifestyle interventions that go hand-in-hand with taking warfarin.

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