collective voice

Thanks for dropping by our blog page. Our team of over 60 full-time experts use the latest thinking in behavioural design and enablement via our people-shaped methodology to Make Better Happen for individuals, organisations and communities. Our specialisms of applied behavioural insights, design through co-creation and leading-edge social marketing and engagement are at the core of all that we do. Our mission is to be part of a society that is well, confident and resilient. If we can help you take a journey to be your best self, please call us on 0845 5193 423 - our promise to you is that we never settle for second best.

National No Smoking Day 2016

March 9, 2016 09:09

Today is national No Smoking Day; I was around for the first one all those years ago when it was treated as a mildly amusing joke.

The tobacco culture had a real grip on society, and being a non-smoker was quite an oddball thing -unless you were of the sporting variety. Health for health’s sake hadn’t taken off just yet, while the only nods to general fitness were “The Green Goddess” and “Mad Lizzie” on Breakfast TV - just for the girls, you understand.

There was no information about men’s health at all. 70% of men smoked, as well as “keeping fit” with football and rugby which was often followed by several pints and a pack of fags in the evening. Sporting events were routinely sponsored by tobacco giants. Meanwhile, women were targeted with chic cigarettes which were often slim and liquorice paper wrapped, giving a look of elegance when held in a certain way. This aesthetic was advertised everywhere from magazines, billboards and newspapers to TV and cinema advertising. Women’s sport still hadn’t caught on with the advertisers.

I was working in despatch at a very large factory employing vastly more women than men, mostly in repetitive routine manual work. It was the stuff that 1970s robots couldn’t do. Most of these women smoked and their lives revolved around the break bell, and of course the cigarette that accompanied the tea. Men would be under the same influence of time but their machines kept the clock ticking. You would be relieved to have a break as the machines kept going. It was repetitive, manual and controlled. It wasn’t a break - it was a fag break seen as part of the working day.

Thankfully, those days have gone and more often than not, we now tend to look to a healthier option. Smoking prevalence has plummeted since those far off tobacco filtered days. However, when we look at the data we find that routine manual workers still have the highest proportion of smokers today. Women have by and large quit or taken up the habit less quickly than men, but in the under 30s it is still stubbornly higher than average. Women in lower income employment and the unwaged are the higher proportion of that group.

We still have a long way to go and today it couldn’t be easier. Getting help to quit is only a matter of asking. The internet will give you all of the stop smoking services in your area. Stop4Life operates in workplaces, colleges and community venues, ensuring that the help you need is readily available in your busy lifestyle. Nicotine replacement therapy and all of the support you need comes from our advisors. With a solid support system, you are four times more likely to quit than going it alone. Our own Puffell.com will guide you and help with tracking your success. It is just a matter of taking the first step.

We have come a long way from the 70s and 80s; your smoking habit could well be history if you take one step more.

-        Les

For more information contact Les Jackson via les@icecreates.com or 0151 647 4700

NHS Health Check Case Study

January 22, 2016 13:13

NHS Health Check Case Study

How to increase NHS Health Check uptake in your area 

Read more... NHS Health Check Case Study

To take advantage of our successful model and the support we can provide please see our case study or contact Graeme Morgan on 0797 357 8337 or at graeme.morgan@icecreates.com

You can’t do it on your own?

September 30, 2015 17:02

Stoptober is upon us and the feeling deep down is that you want to quit smoking; or is it a vague feeling that you should? Is it just that the nagging has to stop eventually? We always look for the positive in any new thing that we do. It enables us to focus on an exciting outcome which can have long term benefits in our lives. Smoking is without a doubt the number one health change you can make. It impacts on so many levels, both for our own bodies and to the lives and feelings of others around us.

Many feel that it should be looked upon as a challenge, something to be conquered and destroyed, planting your flag at the summit and taking a congratulatory selfie. Others feel that it is no big thing, ‘smoking is something stupid I started when I thought it was big and now it’s time to put childish things away and look to a healthier future.’

The truth is somewhere in the middle. It’s different for everybody but with the same outcome. People tackle it in various ways. We have The smoke free home method where we protect everyone we love by not smoking in the house. Then we remember about the Seven Steps rule and make sure the smoke does not blow back in. Most of the harmful chemicals in cigarettes are not visible so if you stand by the back door, it will be coming into your home without you detecting it. This will affect toddlers and pets who are at that lower level and breathe your smoke.

As from 1st October, it will be illegal to smoke in your car with anybody under 18 years of age present. This isn’t an affront to your civil liberties but a protection for those strapped in who cannot make the choices you have made.

So here we are, a smoke free car, a smoke free home and now Stoptoberand a smoke free you.

You didn’t do it on your own.Your families and friends have nudged you in the right direction and the small changes did not become huge challenges and they love you for it.

When you get there though, you still deserve that selfie.

For stop smoking support please contact Les.Jackson@icecreates.com

stop4life.co.uk