June 26, 2016
Mental health breaks hikareti habit
The Wero stop smoking challenge is chalking up gains in one of the toughest sectors it has encountered so far.
Auckland coordinator Breviss Wolfgramm focused on the mental health sector, because it is one of the last places where smoking is still considered the norm.
He says not only is smoking prevalence highest among people suffering mental illnesses, but mental health staff also find it hard to quit because their workplaces are not auahi kore.
The mental health and addictions Wero challenge involved 31 teams with a combined total of 114 staff and service users, competing with each other to quit.
After four weeks just over 30 percent showed a non-smoking status, and after 12 weeks 62 percent tested as non-smokers.
That compares to mainstream challenges where up to 44 percent give up smoking in the first few weeks and then half of those relapse by the end of the challenge.
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