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Smoking cessation services should be ‘co-located’ in gyms

Smoking cessation services should be ‘co-located’ in gyms

A report from the Royal Society for Public Health has suggested that stop smoking services could be located in fitness facilities.

The report, co-authored with fitness charity UKactive, surveyed more than 800 gym and leisure centre users as part of a wider look into the role of exercise professionals in public health, and found that 51% of those were ‘comfortable’ with smoking cessation services being located within gym facilities.

And the charity went on to recommend that commissioners look to ‘embed the co-location of smoking cessation services in fitness facilities’.

They also recommended that primary care should ‘increase use of exercise referral schemes to improve the breadth and depth of access to leisure and fitness facilities.’

RSPH chief executive Shirley Cramer said: ‘As this report demonstrates, exercise professionals have a great opportunity to be an active part of this wider public health workforce, and there is appetite from the public for this to happen.

‘Our recommendations set out a blueprint for making this ambition a reality, in a way that is effective and evidence-based.’

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A report from the Royal Society for Public Health has suggested that stop smoking services could be located in fitness facilities.