Over 56 percent of Romanian smokers are planning to give up in the coming year, shows a study recently presented by the Romanian Society of Pneumology, conducted under the European Commission’s campaign Ex-smokers Are Unstoppable.

Most smokers who responded to the survey said that they smoke between 70 and 140 cigarettes weekly, figures that also apply for over 30 percent of the Romanian smokers, according to Agerpres. The study also shows that 80 percent of the Romanians who smoke consider willpower to be the main element that would help them quit, while 43 percent said that motivational techniques can help them stop smoking.

Around 28 percent of Romanian smokers find it difficult to resist the impulse to light up when drinking tea or coffee, 27 percent find it difficult to socialize with other smokers if they plan to quit, while 22 percent are tempted by the “morning cigarette”.

However, 42 percent of the Romanian respondents said they would feel proud if they succeeded in stopping smoking, while another 42 percent consider they would feel healthier and pay more attention to their health. Around half of the 1,000 Romanians questioned in this survey believe that smoking has a negative impact on certain activities.

The European Commission’s Ex-smokers Are Unstoppable campaign focuses on encouraging Europeans to stop smoking. Smokers from all EU countries have free access to iCoach, a digital health coaching platform that helps smokers quit at their own pace either immediately or in the near future. More about the campaign here.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Sxc.hu)