Want to quit? There's an app for that

The Department of Health has launched an iPhone application to help people stop smoking.

The application was launched today by public health minister Gillian Merron to coincide with No Smoking Day. The DH said the application was the first official NHS Quit Smoking app for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The application provides daily hints and tips to manage cravings, keeps a running tally on how much money quitters have saved since they stopped smoking and tracks the number of days, hours and minutes since quitting.

The DH said the app also includes a direct link to the stop smoking helpline so users can speak with an adviser when they need to.

Gillian Merron said quitting smoking was the single best thing people could to improve their health and said the government last month launched a strategy to halve the number of smokers by 2020.

She added: “"Smokers who quit using free NHS support are up to four times more likely to be successful.

"This new app is one of the many innovative ways the government is helping people quit for good and follows the great success of the recently launched Quit Kits, which give smokers the right tools to stop smoking. “

Deborah Arnott from the charity ASH added: “Around two thirds of smokers want to quit and try time and again. So using modern technology to help them finally achieve that goal is a welcome idea.”

The DH said the app is available from iTunes, www.smokefree.nhs.uk and NHS Choices. It said people who do not have an iPhone or iPod Touch can text the word calculator to 64746 to receive information on an NHS Choices smoking calculator.

The DH said a similar application launched in December by the NHS to help people keep track of their alcohol had been downloaded 65,000 times so far.