It’s public knowledge that tobacco smoking kills thousands of Australians each year – an estimated 15,000 Australians in fact. So some are questioning whether a new strategy involving a virtual, personalised documentary of a smoker’s death could be used successfully to shock smokers out of their addiction?
In 2014, the Northern Sydney Local Health District launched a project entitled ‘Smoking Cessation through Personal Identification (SCUPI)’, to investigate the effectiveness of a new video technique, designed to help people quit smoking tobacco. Study co-ordinator, Mr Robin May, invited individuals who met the following criteria to participate in the study:
- People aged over 30 who were looking to quit smoking and were involved in a long-term relationship with a non-smoking partner.
Sydney-sider, Andrew Bee, 53 who smoked one pack of cigarettes a day for 32 years, was one of the many individuals who volunteered for the study. As part of the study, he was required to watch a video showing himself dying from a heart attack due to smoking. The video also included images of his wife, Megan, and their 18-year-old son.
In a recent article, Mr Bee explained his exposure to the video compelled him to quit smoking within a week, “It shocked me. I thought about it, and I thought about my family, every time I felt like a cigarette when I was struggling to give up.”
The study findings revealed between 2010 and 2014 the SCUPI participants achieved an impressive 54 per cent success rate in smoking cessation within six months of entering the study.
Some are questioning however, whether this somewhat controversial “shock” tactic is indeed, the most suitable and successful way to get people to quit smoking.
Perhaps rather than resorting to extreme measures, those wishing to quit should seek health professional assistance.