Stoptober is a smoking cessation campaign
introduction
Stoptober is a smoking cessation campaign introduced in late 2012 in England. The campaign is among the recently developed campaigns developed to help society in different ways. It challenges smokers to attempt to quit smoking for 28 days. It’s based on goal setting, social contagion theory, SMART (specific, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive) and PRIME, which stands for plans, responses, impulses, motives, and evaluations. The campaign yielded high rates, meaning that many people complied and accepted to quit from smoking. However, not everyone can be convinced to stop their usual way of living. That’s the reason why it’s essential to discuss the campaign and evaluate the progress, what worked or yet working, and some of the problems associated with the initiative.
the objectives
the campaign has two main goals which it purposes to accomplish. The first aim of the intuitiveness entails using traditional and new social media texting to enhance movement whereby the smokers can stop smoking in the same period. The idea above might seem impossible and still possible for some people. The campaign might use various strategies to try to bring people into common practice as a way of ensuring they can try the challenge and benefit from it at the same time. The second objective is advertising and providing tremendous support, including the digital tools to assist the victims of smoking. The assistance can be offered by sending relevant messages which discuss the effects of smoking on smokers. They can as well be encouraged to do their research concerning the impact of tobacco on them, and the results still; they impose on other people who don’t smoke. The inventiveness also purposes of the following ideas its scale, visibility, interaction, engagement actions and behaviors
History
It’s a yearly mass quit attempting event mainly created through marketing. The movement was introduced in 2012, and up to now, it has entered its ninth years since it was launched. Just like other campaigns, the initiative got its purpose to serve, as explained above. The operation purposes for improving the lives of many people. At first, it was beneficial to England, where it originated. However, other nations just noticed the importance behind the movement. As a result, the change has been introduced and expanded to other countries globally. This good progress to indicate the relevance the initiate is playing to other people.
In 2016, compete for the priorities resulted in a substantial media budget decrease. Consequently, there was a radical rethink in media policy, and the digital tactic was applied in contrast to the typical multichannel strategy in recent years. As anticipated, the decrease in budget occasioned in a reduction in awareness about the movement. In estimation, knowledge reduced from 70% in 2015 to 40% in 2016. The campaign awareness increased in 2017 to strengthen its power. The chain followed depending on the aims and how the campaign performed in recent years.
The goodness of
The campaign has been trying each year to m
ake new changes. The aim is to convince as many people as possible. Though there are some challenges, the battle still seems valid. After the reduction in awareness in 2016, the improvements implemented continued, and in the year 2018, mots of the victims are aware of the program. Most pf the have taken the campaign seriously and have complied to taking advantage to change their lives. The understanding of the campaign remains high to many people and beneficial.
Only a few cases have been reported about the people who are fed up about hearing the name every year in October. Other departments still support the goodness of it, like the pharmacies. They try to reach many people as possible. The people who participated in previous ones have improved in many sectors. A lot of cash spends on buying cigarettes can now be used to do other things that can improve the economy. Health risk has as well changed. Governments in nations where victims have architected to change find an easy time in diverting income to other things of development and not treatments. Therefore, the right thing with the stopover has changed the lives of many people and saved a lot of money in different nations.
What was not good
Despite the excellent deed offered by the movement still, there was on some occasions where it was not good. Due to the lower budget, there were some things experienced differently from other years, especially in 2016. In 2016, the campaign period was short, only for 14 days. It’s required to go for about 28 days. The shorter period implied that there were some issues skipped. For any project to be successful, some steps should be followed. The 14 days were capable of sorting out problems and helping people who needed help at that time. Also, the digital advertisement was not fair enough because not everyone could sustain and understand digital tools. In this manner, people did not see any essentiality in the movement because it did not cater to the needs of everyone.
The comprehensive support as well seemed to support a particular group, especially people who financially stable. The television shows were expensive and noted everyone could afford the costly means of communication. The option of requesting people to share their personal information to access the support was not a good idea still. Mostly, the information could be accessed through the app store and Facebook. Signing up to access support did not help everyone who needed assistance. Therefore, the initiative was biased to some extent since it didn’t incorporate the needs and importance of people in different places. It could be wise enough or the participants to receive information even without signing up.
What not worked
Different researchers show how the participants social contagion helped them to know more about the campaign and enabled them to build a cessation social norm. However, based on research from various researchers, some of them were not entirely pleased by the initiative. Some perceived that the SMART goals concept was just an idea of fooling themselves. They assumed
taking a break for one day to smoke and continue with the challenge could not cause any harm to them. There was not enough social network, professional support, and personalized support. Research shows how different respondents aired the demand for the things mentioned above. Such kind of campaign requires enough preparation to make sure nothing won’t work as needed. The absence or insufficient of the things mentioned above is enough indication of how some things did not work as required.
Most of the smokers are aware of the side effects associated with smoking. They know well that smoking not a good thing for their health. Therefore, the campaign can just be seen as condescending since some of them know what it’s about to be taught to them. The campaign also did not have full evidence if the smokers who engage in the challenge stopped smoking entirely after the 28 days. Therefore, the initiative doesn’t offer abundant evidence to people if the smokers quit smoking, or they just did the change and continued with their usual way of life. People might then end up seeing the movement as pointless. It’s, therefore, enough indication that there are some things that the campaign did not work on to satisfy everyone.
work yet to be done
the positive results on the significate of the Stoptober motivated the spread of the movement to other nations. It might have helped the entire sector of healthcare. In healthcare sectors, health practitioners struggle with complications associated with smoking. Spreading awareness of other countries could help in fighting conditions brought by smoking. Many strategies were applied to lure people like social support and positive messaging. Research from various sectors showed some improvement in people who stopped smoking. However, on the same, a lot still to be accomplished. A lot of questions still unanswered, and they require further studies. Always measure the population impact of smoking on quit success, and the campaigns have not shown on elements that contributed a lot in making people change their poor smoking habits. Identifying the core elements of change will help in improving those factors to ensure the next time they will be applied, they will be more effective. Therefore, such kind of concepts needs to be modified for future development.
Reflect on the initiative progress
The campaign has driven a lot of quit attempts showing the more significant mass contribution to quit. Stoptober keeps on encouraging people if they stop smoking for the 28 days they can stop smoking for the rest of their life. Based on the research, about six in every ten smokers re willing to leave and do other things which are essential in their lives. The initiate has offered various support tactics to its progress effective. Free online quit plans have been provided to enable them to get the support that is right for them. The program has as well given progress, which should be followed to track money spent on smoking. Such kind of factors will discourage them from smoking hence contributing towards the rates of people willing to quit.
Usually, The initiative is tied to social-psychological principles, which makes its operations progress well. The first principle is the social contagion theory, which suggests the use of social networks to intensify the message revealed. The approach aims at building collective quit trials where the victims decide as a group. The second principle it’s about the SMART concept, which states that challenges in trying to quit can be solved if behaviors are SMART-framed. The third principle which its part of progress incentives is the PRIME concept, which talks about motivations. Quitting alcohol is not easy and need strong incentives to convince people. The principles have helped in keeping the campaign moving despite the challenges faced.
Recommendations
For about nine years since the stopover campaigns started, there has been an increase in the attempt to increase the budget, which means there will be an increase in the campaigns. Such findings motivate the further spread of the initiative to other nations who have the same issue. It’s, therefore, suitable for future research to clarify how the increased leaving trials as a result of stopover translate into quit achievement and which of the strategies seem to improve the performance. Through such clarifications, future developers and planners will determine the best ways to use to encourage participation.
The issue of reaching everyone irrespective of the background should as well be determined. The initiative has been successful in addressing the need for individuals in various places. However, digital tools are not fair to everyone. There are some of the people who can’t find access to Facebook to access information. It will fine if necessary, and strategies are developed to cater to the needs of everyone. Those people without access to digital tools should be allowed to get information even without signing up. Through such, they will be in a position to treat everyone fairly without leaving anyone aside.
Most of the side effects mentioned in the initiative are apparent to people. People who smoke are aware of what will happen to them if they keep such practice for the long term. The programs should, therefore, develop some unique ways to convince people. This is because some of the people might see the issues just like regular activity, which comes and pass with time. The unique approaches like giving rewards will be kind enough to courage them to stick
to the challenges and adhere to what taught.
Conclusion
Some of the temporary campaigns like stoptober are important in improving the health of the nation and save the economy as well. The program got various benefits, but still, there are some of the challenges which they face. Problems in any initiative are apparent, but how the management tackles the problem depends a lot. Its fair for the campaigns does not keep on coming with innovations to make people motivated. Discussing similar things every time is likely to make people assume the campaign. The population interventions are useful in encouraging the quit idea for the members. That means that behaviors from the victims will still account a lot. As much the initiative is trying to improve people, the same applies to the victims; they should try their best to comply with the requirements.